Frozen-Trouble In Arendelle
by RaymanK16
Summary: This FanFic takes place 5 months after the events in the Frozen movie. It mainly follows Elsa, and tells of the events of her and her kingdom when attacked by a man known as The Storm, along with a relationship between her and a young prince with a troubled past. Rated T for violence, mild language, and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1: All Fun and Games

**This FanFic follows the original Frozen movie's story, a mini Frozen 2 I guess you could call it. It takes place 5 months after the end of the movie, in the month of December, 1706. This is my first FanFic, and any reviews, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I associated with Frozen or Disney. All characters, whether previously created or OC's, are fictious and any resemblance to a real person, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

"Anna! Get down from there!" exclaimed Elsa, watching her sister walking along the stairway banister. "I don't want to see you getting hurt again like last time!"

"Oh c'mon," Anna replied. "It was just a couple of bruises, nothing serious."

Elsa never did enjoy watching the game Anna and Kristoff had come up with, which involved sliding down the ballroom stair railing and along the floor to see who could make it the farthest. So far only Olaf had succeeded in crashing into the opposite wall 100 feet away, but that was fine considering he was made of snow.

"Here I goooo!" shouted Anna, as she flung herself down the stairs, sliding a good 50 feet before coming to a stop right in front of a glaring Elsa. Anna looked up into her disapproving sister's face, and flinched at the cold stare.

"What? It's fun!" said Anna.

Elsa just smiled and rolled her eyes. "Some time or another you're going to get yourself killed doing that," scolded Elsa.

"So what?" Anna replied. "At least I'll be doing something fun instead of boring paperwork all the time."

Elsa had brought it on herself to at least attempt to teach Anna the responsibilities and regality of being a queen, but Anna was just too adventurous. Just then, Elsa heard the all too familiar clomping of boots coming towards them.

"What's all the ruckus about?" said Kristoff, having just entered the room. "Doing more banister sliding? You know you can't beat my record," he teased.

"Kristoff!" shouted Anna, running into his arms and kissing him. "You're home!"

Kristoff had been out for days attempting to sell ice to neighboring towns and hamlets before the freezing temperatures arrived in January, rendering his business useless for months.

"Yeah, well, ran outta ice early so decided to come home," he said before kissing Anna back.

"How are you Kristoff?" said Elsa, approaching the couple. "Was your trip prosperous?"

Elsa was not too keen on Kristoff's profession, thinking it useless since she knew pretty much everything about ice, but it made him happy, and that was good enough for her.

"Yeah, it was good enough," he replied. "The folks over in Dorvold kept trying to get me to cut down their ice further, because the chunks were supposedly too big for anything useful." He shrugged. "I also was half tempted to go up the North Mountain for another load, but that place is crawling with wolves. Didn't seem worth it to get eaten over some ice." He explained. "So what's up with you two?" he asked as the trio started walking through the main castle hallway.

"Well," said Anna, "I've been trying to occupy myself so I don't think about you-know-what."

Elsa sighed at this remark, knowing all too well her little sister was dreaming about wedding plans again. Kristoff had proposed just two weeks ago, when he and Anna went on a sleigh-ride to the Gardens of Atlas, a beautiful place filled with every flower and plant known to Arendelle. Kristoff had secretly gotten rings of blue crystal the week before, which required a substantial loan from the Arendelle treasury. To get them, he had to ask Elsa directly, which included much persuading, pleading, and eventually begging until Elsa finally gave in and blessed the wedding, and gave him the rings. Though Elsa wouldn't admit it, she liked Kristoff. He had a good heart. She believed that he would make an excellent husband to her precious sister.

Kristoff laughed, picking Anna up and twirling her around. "Would you believe that that was what I was thinking of too?" He asked. Kristoff, being a mountain man and raised by trolls, didn't know about the extravagance of a royal wedding, and so didn't know about the extensive planning it required.

"Hey Muscles, be careful with my sister," said Elsa, wearingly yet amusingly watching the happy couple.

After the two returned from their trip to the gardens, Anna was completely ecstatic about the wedding, which was putting it lightly. She rambled on about it so much Elsa started coming up with things to occupy her with other than pester her, which mainly included wedding plans. Anna would disappear into her room for hours at a time going over every minute detail, down to the very stitching of her dress. The wedding was scheduled for the winter solstice, which was only days away. Already the invitations had gone out to all of Arendelle's allies, who were skeptical at the prospect of returning to the "Ice Kingdom," but were excited about the wedding of Princess Anna, who nobody could help but love. Elsa had been in a fit, trying to make sure everything would be perfect. But she was mostly afraid about what her allies in government and trade would think of her. She recalled the awful summer just months ago, when she froze all of Arendelle, revealing her powers over ice and snow. She had trapped the dignitaries visiting for her coronation, as their ships had been frozen by Elsa's outburst. Half of her fellow dignitaries accused her of treason, and a few of those suggested execution, due to their fear of Elsa and her powers. The relations between Arendelle and the other nations improved when Elsa thawed Arendelle, but only slightly. Elsa had been working herself to death writing up apologetic letters and treaties, and hoped that her foreign visitors would be able to manage returning to her kingdom. Ever since, she had been experimenting with her powers, manipulating them with feelings of love rather than fear, and felt that she had a lot better grasp on them than before. It had been Anna's idea for her to make ice sculptures and an ice-skating rink in the courtyard, so as to show the dignitaries that her powers could be used for good.

"Elsa!" shouted Anna, shaking her out of her reverie. Elsa realized that she had stopped, lost in her thoughts.

"It's nine! Let's go open up the gates!" she said while running along the corridor, Kristoff in hand.

Since the Great Thaw, Elsa and Anna always opened up the castle gates to the public at nine in the morning, and went to go out to greet them.

Elsa hurried after her sister to the main gates, ordering the guards on either side to open them. They complied, and the standard amount of townsfolk stood just outside to greet her. Elsa moved about the crowd as Anna and Kristoff rushed out into town, greeting each person and asking them how they were, what was new, or sharing a bit of gossip. Just as she was nearing the end of the crowd, she saw a chestnut horse galloping across the castle bridge. At the sight of it, Elsa smiled warmly.

Adrian had returned.


	2. Chapter 2: Awkward Negotiations

Elsa rushed out of the crowd to where Adrian was being helped down from his horse by the stable hands, a wide grin on her face. Just as he was standing on the ground, she bowled him over, sending them both crashing down onto the grass of the stable. Elsa knew she should be showing more queenly restraint, but Adrian had been gone for over a month, and she missed him desperately. Adrian laughed, rolling over and kissing her. The bystanding crowd smiled and dispersed, giving the queen some privacy.

"Oh Adrian, I didn't think you would be back until tomorrow," said Elsa as their lips parted.

"My ship got a good headway out of the port of Orethell, so I was able to arrive early," he replied. "So I decided to surprise you."

"Well mission accomplished, I'm surprised," laughed Elsa, helping them both to their feet. They walked arm in arm back to the castle. Before heading in, Elsa signaled to a servant nearby.

"Please go and find Anna and Kristoff and tell them Adrian has returned," she told the servant.

"Right away your majesty," she said quickly, before turning and running off towards town.

Adrian and Elsa were technically a couple, but neither of them could decide what to call their relationship. They were not yet engaged, but neither were they 'dating'. Adrian lived with Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff in Arendelle's castle, and all the townsfolk believed that their queen had found a worthy king. Adrian was a prince of the nation of Orethell, whom Arendelle shared close trade relationships, despite being several days apart. Orethell was centrally located on the continent, so they did not have a large navy, but instead preferred horseback, carriage, or sled.

Adrian and Elsa met when Elsa was sorting out the trade agreements after Arendelle's frightful summer. Elsa had dignitaries coming from all over the continent every week to work out trade negotiations and sign or resign treaties. She had expected the King of Orethell to come in September, but the king was ill at the time. So the king instead sent his 3 eldest children, saying it would be good diplomatic practice for them. Elsa remembered the events fondly...

_It was getting to be late in the afternoon, and Elsa was just about to retire to her room when her court announcer promptly knocked on her study door._

"Your majesty, the delegates from Orethell have arrived. They await you in the lobby."

Elsa wasn't expecting anyone until tomorrow, and thought it odd that she had visitors at such late of an hour.

"Thank you Derek. Tell them I will meet with them in 10 minutes."

"Of course, your highness," said the announcer, before striding off back down the hall.

Elsa sighed. She had hoped to be able to read for a while before bed, but the life of a queen wasn't supposed to be easy.

She walked over to her full length mirror on the back wall and fixed her dress and hair, while applying a fresh coat of lipstick.

Finding herself presentable, she left her study and made her way down to the front lobby. When she got to the stairs, she saw that the delegates were not made up of the king and his advisors, who she was expecting, but rather by two handsome young men and one pretty young woman, who were gazing around the room, fascinated by the decor. At that moment, her court announcer noticed her and rushed to the foot of the stairs.

"Your majesty, I present to you Prince Raul of Orethell, Prince Adrian of Orethell, and Princess Diana of Orethell."

"Thank you Derek," said Elsa. "Please notify the kitchens that we will be 3 more for dinner."

"Yes, your highness," said the announcer, vanishing through a doorway.

"Your majesty, we don't mean to impede on your dinner," said the eldest prince, bowing before her. "We are just here to fulfill our father's negotiations."

"Nonsense," replied Elsa. "Any guest of mine is to stay for dinner. And please call me Elsa. I am not one for formalities."

The young man looked relieved. Elsa realized that he couldn't be more than 5 years older than she was, and the other two younger than that. "Thank you, umm, Queen Elsa. We are not ones for formality either. Let me introduce you to my family. I am Raul, this is my brother Adrian and my sister Diana," said Raul, gesturing to each of them in turn. Adrian did a generous bow at his name while Diana curtsied. Elsa couldn't help but see how attractive Adrian was. She guessed he was around her age of 21, and seemed self-confident and regal. But she couldn't let her mind wander on official business, so she pushed her observations to the back of her mind.

"Very nice to meet you all," said Elsa with a kind smile. "Not meaning to be rude or anything, but where is your father?"

"He got ill when he was to depart, so he sent us to do his business, thinking it would be good experience for us all," replied Raul, conspicuously glancing at her gloved hands. Clearly, the negotiations were not the only thing this young man feared, Elsa thought to herself.

"Oh, I am sorry about that. I am glad he sent you three," said Elsa glancing at the other two, who were also shooting glances at her gloves.

"Well shall we get down to business?" she asked. Raul nodded, and she led them to the castle conference room.

The King of Orethell's negotiations were not changed at all, much to Elsa's relief. He was on her side of the freezing Arendelle incident the whole time, and did not blame her in the slightest. This was conveyed by Raul while his brother and sister watched quietly.

"You know," said Elsa, addressing Adrian and Diana, "You two can talk also."

"Well, Raul is the one with the governmental training, since he is next in line for the throne," said Adrian. "We are just supposed to observe and learn."

"Well alright, if you say so," said Elsa.

The negotiations went by much quicker than Elsa's last meetings, and the trio was ready to leave in just 3 hours.

"Thank you for your generous hospitality," said Raul on their way out.

"And thank you for yours," replied Elsa.

When they had left, Elsa turned around and almost collided with Anna, who was standing right behind her.

"Gaahh!" Elsa screamed, jumping backwards. "Anna, don't DO that!"

While Elsa was regaining her composure, Anna just stared at her with a smug grin on her face.

"What?" said Elsa. She was worried about what was coming.

"I saw you looking at that Prince from Orethell, Adrian." said Anna.

"So what? He was part of the Orethell trade delegation," said Elsa, her cheeks reddening.

Anna just stared at her, a look of mischief in her eyes.

"Well, you like him, don't you?" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Anna, I've had a long day and I want to go to bed..."

"You can't just let him leave," said Anna, cutting her off. I've never seen you looking at anybody else like that before. It could be loooove," she said, stretching the word.

"Anna, you are not to talk to him," ordered Elsa.

"Oh please," scoffed Anna. "You like him.". With that, she turned on her heel and headed up the staircase. "Just think on it," she shouted from the top, before heading down the main hallway.

That night, Elsa did think about it. She hadn't realized again how desperately lonely she was, being busy with trade negotiations. She truly wanted someone to love her and understand her. Of course, she had Anna, but that was different. She eventually drifted off to sleep, dreaming of princes...  
  
Adrian and Elsa entered the castle and made their way to the art room, where they sat together on the sofa below Joan of Arc.

"I've missed you so much," sighed Elsa, resting her head on Adrian's chest.

"I've missed you too Snowflake," he said, using the nickname that Olaf frequently used when talking to Elsa.

"Oh c'mon, will you quit it with that name?" said Elsa, sitting up to look at him. "I swear, the next time Olaf melts himself again I'm not helping."

"Don't take it out on him," said Adrian. "I was only teasing." He put his arm around her and drew her close to him, kissing her on the head.

"So how was your trip home?" said Elsa. Elsa desperately wanted to tell him about Anna and Kristoff, but she could see that he had something on his mind.

"Not anything good, I'm afraid," he replied.

"What? What's wrong?" said Elsa, her eyes widening with worry.

"There have been several attempts of kidnappings on the Orethell royal family, including my brother and sister," he explained.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Elsa. "Are they alright?" An icy rime began to build on the sofa where her right hand was as her emotions increased.

"Yes, yes, they're fine," he said, placating her. "It's alright. But could you stop freezing my pants?"

"Oh, sorry" said Elsa. She concentrated, and the warm sensation of her power when she used it out of love dissipated the ice.

"Wow, you've really gotten good at that," said Adrian, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, well I've been practicing. Anyway, what about your family?" said Elsa.

"They seem disturbed at who might be behind the attacks, but they have doubled their security and made the issue known to the kingdom, so a chance of them actually being taken are minimal at best." he said.

"That's good. And your father?" asked Elsa.

"Still sick, but hanging on. He is probably the strongest man I know, running a kingdom with an illness that has troubled him for months."

"Will he be alright?" asked Elsa, concern filling her eyes.

"Of course he will. At this rate, he is on track to being completely well, but if he should pass on, his line is secure with Raul and he would be going home to his fathers."

At that moment, Anna and Kristoff, followed closely by Olaf, burst into the room.

"Hey Adrian!" exclaimed Anna, jumping on him in a tackle-like hug.

When Anna let go, Kristoff went up to shake Adrian's hand while Olaf hugged his leg.

"So Adrian," said Anna, pulling Kristoff to her. "We have some big news for you!"


	3. Chapter 3: Plots Over Beakfast

**Thanks for the feedback guys! Really appreciate it! Just as a side note, this will be the last "happy' chapter. I've introduced a conflict, and will build on that from here on. Stay tuned!**

Meanwhile, in the rival Kingdom of Lodenburgh...

"You idiot!" screamed the Lodenburgh prime minister. "You said she wouldn't be an issue!"

"Well, technically, sire, um, she has become an issue, err, as she now seems to have ice powers and whatnot," stammered the Duke of Weselton.

"I don't care about whatever hocus-pocus Arendelle has come up with, I want their trade secrets and treasury location NOW!"

"But the queen is too powerful, sire. She froze all of Arendelle, including 9 merchant vessels," replied the Duke in a trembling voice.

"Oh Weselton, I should have you drawn and quartered for this! Guards, remove this slime from my sight!"

"Wait, wait, sire! Please! Give me another chance!" the Duke cried, desperately thinking for a new plan to prove that he wasn't incompetent.

"What idea could you possibly have?" mocked the prime minister.

Just then, Weselton thought of a brilliant idea, a crazy, yet maniacal plan. "Sire, wait! I have an idea! Let me hire somebody to kidnap the queen's sister, oh what was her name, Anna! Then use her as bait to capture the queen!"

"My God Weselton, have you any brains at all? We cannot contain the queen once we have her, if your description of her power is accurate. We would need to completely negate her powers to even get near her!"

"Yes, yes we do," said the Duke, a mischievous look in his eye. "And I have a plan for that too, but first we need Anna. My spies tell me that the Princess of Arendelle is to be wed this winter solstice, and I think we should merit an invitation..." 

-x-

"Adrian, me and Kristoff are engaged!" screeched Anna.

The happy couple stood looking at the bewildered prince, waiting for a reaction.

Then Adrian jumped up from his seat next to Elsa and pulled them both in for a giant bear hug.

"That's amazing!" he told them, letting them go. "I'm so happy for you two!"

The next few days passed in a flurry of activity. Every nook and crevice of the giant castle was decorated in Arendelle's colors of black, teal, and yellow, but also with Anna's favorite color, light green, and Kristoff's favorite color, ice blue. Everything was cleaned, readied, and prepared for the couple and Arendelle's foreign visitors.

Elsa noticed, finding the castle looking better than it did for her coronation. She busied herself with Anna's request to make ice sculptures. This was a talent she found she could do at a much younger age, and it explained how she made Olaf and Marshmallow. She just needed to close her eyes and concentrate on an image of what she wanted to make, then used her powers almost subconsciously. At first, she was only able to conjure snowmen or random pieces of ice that didn't look like much of anything. But she found that by infusing her magic with love, the sculptures practically made themselves. She made one of Anna and one of Kristoff, then one of them together to put in the great hall. She made herself and Adrian, one of Olaf, and even one of Sven, Kristoff's lovable reindeer, and put them throughout the castle. When Anna saw them she went absolutely ballistic, saying they were the most beautiful things in the world, and hugging her sister in thanks.

On the day of the wedding, Elsa woke up at her customary hour to the sound of knocking on the door. Adrian groggily sat up next her.

"Whozzat?" he mumbled, yawning widely.

"Queen Elsa and Sir Adrian, I wish to inform you that you have been summoned to breakfast by an early visitor," said Elsa's court announcer.

"Tell them we will be just a few minutes!" Elsa replied.

"Uhh! she groaned, falling back onto the pillows. "We weren't expecting any visitors for hours."

"Better go see what they want," Adrian supplied.

The two got up from the bed, quickly bathing and dressing in standard formal wear.

"We can change later," said Adrian, pulling on his trousers.

When ready, the two walked down to the dining hall arm-in-arm, where they were intercepted by the announcer.

"Your majesty, Sir, I wish to present Prince Erik of Lodenburgh," he said, gesturing to the man at his side.

The man seemed to be in his early thirties, impeccably dressed, and had a rugged, handsome face that seemed quite angular, as if his skin was stretched across his skull. Elsa noticed he was also quite thin, and seemed to stand off to his right side, as though he had a limp.

"Your majesty, it is an honor," he said, sweeping into a perfect court bow, and reaching out to take her hand and kiss it. "Your beauty was not understated in the least," he added, winking at her.

Adrian looked thoroughly disturbed, but stood his ground and didn't impede.

"Prince Erik, your reputation precedes you. I hear your kingdom's mines have the most beautiful jewels in the world," said Elsa.

"Of course, your majesty, they are of the finest..."

"And that you are masters of fraud," she said, cutting him off.

"Oh, it pains my heart to hear of what my neighbors think of my kingdom. The sale and distribution of fake gems was a crime done in my country, yes, but my brothers and I have all but put a stop to it. Rest assured, all of Lodenburgh's trade is completely genuine."

"Well that is good to hear, as I assume you are here to set up a trade connection with Arendelle," Elsa replied. She didn't like Erik nor his country, but it was true that Lodenburgh's mines were chock full of precious minerals, things her kingdom needed in the wooded lands of Arendelle.

"No no, that is not my intent," Erik replied. "I am just here to see the beautiful Princess' marriage, and to pay my respects. "But, if trade is in order, come find me tomorrow."

With that, he got up from the dining table and sauntered back off down the hall. Although he disguised it well, Elsa still saw he had a limp in his right leg.

"Well that was odd," said Adrian. "C'mon, let's finish our breakfast."

They ate in silence, then returned to their room, where they relaxed for a while before getting ready for the coming day's events.

At around 2 in the afternoon, Adrian dressed down in a handsome suit of black, including a teal rose in his lapel. Elsa conjured up her favorite snow dress and braided her hair down her left shoulder, and applied her signature purple and pink eyeliner.

"Ready?" asked Adrian.

"Ready," Elsa replied.

"Then let's go to a wedding," he said, walking them out the door.


	4. Chapter 4: A Wedding and Memories

**My favorite chapter so far. Not easy trying to meld past and present together, but here you go. This part touches on the wedding of Anna and Kristoff, and some romanticism between Elsa and Adrian. The ending is the catcher…**

"So far, the wedding has gone fabulously," Elsa thought to herself.

Anna and Kristoff's wedding had taken place in the Arendelle Chapel, which was in the courtyard in front of the castle. This wasn't the best idea, since the entirety of Arendelle was in attendance, along with about 100 foreign visitors. Sven and Olaf also elected to be in the chapel, and got many odd looks as they were both up front. Sven was causing quite a disturbance when he once again attempted to eat Olaf's carrot nose.

Elsa couldn't believe how beautiful Anna looked. Anna's bridal dress was a light green color, with orange stitching. Her veil was perched on her beautifully done red hair, which was something extremely fancy that Elsa couldn't discern. Kristoff looked quite good as well, in a black tuxedo with white stitching, and a red rose in his lapel. Since Elsa had never seen Kristoff in anything but his hiking gear, the change was shocking.

Before the ceremony, Anna literally dragged Elsa up from the pews to be her best lady and ring bearer. Elsa though she might cry when Anna and Kristoff said "I do," and clapped as hard as everybody else when they kissed.

"I'm so proud of you!" said Elsa after the ceremony, walking alongside Anna out to the courtyard. "You too, muscles," she said, playfully punching Kristoff on the shoulder.

"Well, ya know, ya don't get hitched every day," he replied, smiling at his wife.

The three made their way up onto a makeshift stage in front of the castle fountains, where they greeted their guests and made a few light speeches. Elsa caught Adrian's eyes a few times, seeing him in the middle of the crowd, and winked at him.

By the time they were done, the sun had started to set.

Anna turned to her sister, anticipation in her eyes. "So, are you gonna do it?"

"Yes of course," Elsa replied. "Just wait until the sun is completely set."

The day before, Elsa told Anna she had a surprise for her at sundown. Elsa's plan was to have the servants move her ice sculptures out into the courtyard. While experimenting with her powers, Elsa found that she could manipulate ice to absorb and reflect light. After more testing, she came up with a way to create light using the moon and her powers. She had prepared a spectacle for Anna's wedding with this newfound knowledge.

Everybody watched in anticipation as the sun slowly made its way down onto the horizon. Just before it was about to wink out, Elsa raised her hands above her head and let loose a flurry of ice, that coalesced into a giant snowflake above the courtyard. Everybody oohed and aahed.

"Wow Elsa, that's spectacular!" Anna exclaimed.

"Just wait," said Elsa.

Just then, the moon appeared from behind a cloud, and moonlight struck the snowflake. Due to her extensive knowledge of geometry, Elsa created the snowflake to direct light at each of her ice sculptures. Beams of light shot down from the snowflake, hitting each sculpture in turn, until each one glowed brighter than a torch with blue light.

Then, Elsa pointed her left hand towards the ground, and ice spread across it, leaving a smooth, iridescent surface, yet one that was not slippery. She turned her hand upward, and the middle of the snowflake shot a beam of light down onto the ground, illuminating the entire courtyard.

Everybody cheered, amazed at the beauty of it all.

Elsa turned towards the newly-wed couple, seeing them staring around themselves with their mouths open.

"Well, what do you think?" Elsa asked timidly.

"That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!" Anna got out. "How did you do that?"

"Lots of practice," laughed Elsa.

Elsa gestured to a servant standing next to the stage, and he ran off. Soon, the courtyard was strewn with tables full of food and drink, and a dance area had been cleared with an orchestra now set up on the stage.

Being proper with tradition, Anna and Kristoff started off the first dance, but soon everybody was clamoring for their spot on the floor. Elsa was watching Anna and Kristoff from the side, sharing in their happiness, when Adrian appeared behind her.

"Your majesty, may I have this dance?" he asked, taking her hand.

She gasped, then laughed seeing it was just him, and let him twirl her out onto the dance floor.

"Those were the exact words you said on our first dance," she said, starting in on a waltz.

"Yes, they were, weren't they?" he said, giving her a knowing smile. "Same song too."

Elsa started, realizing it was. Her mind wandered to that day...

_The delegates from Orethell had returned on a customary visit to oversee winter trades. They had a scheduled visit on the 9th of October, and once again, it was not the king who came, but rather Adrian and Diana._

Elsa had been thinking of Anna's claim and of Adrian for a whole month, and seeing him again put a smile on her face.

"Hello again," she said greeting them. "How was your trip?"

"Fine," Adrian replied. Diana laughed.

"He gets seasick easily," she said.

"Well come in and sit down," said Elsa, motioning for a servant.

"Please fetch our guests some tea," she asked.

"Of course your majesty, right away," said the servant, going off towards the kitchens.

The palace had been quiet lately, with Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf having gone off on a trip to visit Soledad. They had begged her to come with them, but she said she was expecting visitors, and couldn't come.

Elsa learned from talking to the prince and princess that Orethell was not doing well. Their father was still sick, and Raul had stayed behind to care for him. They were also very low on lumber and warm coats.

Elsa reassured them that the trade Arendelle had was more than enough to support Orethell. The prince and princess were to stay a week in Arendelle to oversee the loading ships.

"Where will you stay for this time?" she asked them.

"We were planning on staying on our ship for the time being," said Adrian.

"Nonsense, any guests of mine should have the proper accommodations. You can stay here in the castle."

"Oh thank you your majesty, that is very kind of you," said Adrian.

"Adrian, I told you to call me Elsa," she said with a smirk.

"Oh, yes. Sorry," he said sheepishly.

The loading of the ships went on schedule the next few days, but Elsa found herself getting more and more lonely. Anna and the rest weren't planning on getting back for 4 more days, and Adrian and Diana were always at the docks.

On the third day, she found herself wandering back to her old room. Since she had become queen, she had been using the royal bedroom. Out of instinct, she had come to this room instead. The old bedroom brought back such a wave of sorrow, guilt, and loneliness she almost collapsed. She brought herself up to look at the picture of her father over the bureau.

"Father, I don't know if I'm doing this right," she said out loud. "Would you still be proud of me now?" She recalled the fact that her father always wanted a son, that she had to lock herself away to protect her family, the names people called her just months ago. "Witch, sorceress, demon, monster." "Oh father, I miss you," she whispered. She collapsed onto the floor and sobbed. She didn't know how long she was there, but a hand on her shoulder shook her out of her grief.

"Elsa!? Elsa, are you alright?"

It was Adrian. Elsa looked up at him and a new set of tears began rolling from her eyes. She buried her head in his chest and cried.

Adrian looked thoroughly confused and unsure of himself, but he picked her up.

"C'mon, let's get you out of this place," he said, carrying her out the door. Due to her high emotions, Elsa had almost completely refrozen her room.

He carried her to her main bedroom and laid her on the bed, where her body continued to be racked with sobs. His thoughts wandered to the stack of shipping documents needing signatures, but when he turned to leave, Elsa turned to him.

"Please," she whispered. "Don't leave me."

He looked at her, saw the pleading in her eyes, her tortured soul on display, and couldn't bring himself to go. He laid down next to her, putting an arm on her shoulders.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her.

She tucked herself against him, her shaking sobs slowly quieting, until she fell into a fitful sleep on his chest.

When she awoke, she looked up finding herself lost in Adrian's hazel eyes.

"Feeling better?" he asked, using his thumb to wipe the dried tears from her face.

"I think so," replied Elsa, sitting up. "How long was I asleep?"

"5 hours, give or take," he shrugged. It's 8-o-clock now.

"I'm sorry I kept you from your work," she said. "I was just feeling so lonely."

Then her mental ordeal hit her again, and she started sobbing again.

"Hey hey, none of that anymore," Adrian said softly.

"I just can't hold it in anymore," she said through her crying. "My life is just such a mess."

"Here, why don't you tell me about it? Get it out so you don't have to contain it," said Adrian. He really didn't want to know what had caused this girl so much grief, but he felt that she needed to tell somebody_, and her sister wasn't here._

"Ok," she said, sitting up. And then her whole story came rushing out. She told him about her incident with Anna when she was 8, how she concealed herself from the world, her parent's death, the pain she went through in shutting Anna out, her coronation, running away to the North Mountain, her predicament with Hans and Weselton, and freezing her sister, and the Great Thaw.

Throughout it all, Adrian just listened, unbelieving. "Nobody should be able to suffer this much and not go crazy," he thought to himself. An idea appeared in the back of his mind. "She needs a supporter to understand her." "No," he thought arguing with himself. "She's a queen and I'm a second rate prince. It could never happen even in my dreams." "But look how she's opened up to you," his thoughts retaliated. "Yes, but, well...she's suffering and..." "And she's beautiful." There was no denying that. Adrian knew Elsa was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He had always thought his sister was, but upon meeting Elsa, that claim shattered. And in her sadness, it only made her more beautiful. He couldn't help but love her.

"I'm so sorry about your parents, and about your sister, and about everything really," he said, his eyes downcast.

"Just you being hear has helped immensely," she said.

Over the next few days, Elsa tried spending as much time as possible with Adrian. They walked together around town, sat and talked in the gardens, had snowball fights in the courtyard. Diana didn't seem to mind, taking to the trade ledgers naturally, easily doing the work of two.

On the day Adrian had to leave, he and Elsa were sitting in the main lobby of the castle when a servant turned on the music recorder. Elsa recognized the song instantly, as it was her parent's favorite.

Adrian got up from his seat next to her, extending his hand.

"Your majesty, may I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Why, of course," she said taking his hand and letting him pull her up onto the floor in front of the main staircase. The song playing was a waltz, and they danced happily across the room. Just as the final notes of the song were being played, a servant of Adrian's from Orethell appeared.

"Your highness, it is time to take your leave. The ship leaves in 30 minutes," he said, before turning and heading back out the door.

Adrian sighed, and turned to kiss Elsa's hand.

"Until we meet again, Snow Queen," he said, turning towards the door.

"Adrian, wait!" Elsa cried. He turned around just in time to catch her in his arms, and all of a sudden she was kissing him.

At first he was bewildered. But then his mind started working again and he kissed her back passionately.

Elsa recalled when Anna introduced her to Hans, saying it was true love. Elsa didn't know what true love was, only love of family. What she was experiencing while kissing Adrian was something else entirely. Her whole being, body and soul, warmed up into a feeling of complete bliss, and she let herself be consumed by it.

They broke apart after a minute, their lips parting with a soft pop.

"Please don't go Adrian," she said. "I love you."

He nodded and smiled. "Of course not. Meryl!" he shouted, motioning to a woman standing in the courtyard.

She scurried over, looking at her master expectantly.

"Please inform my sister and the crew of the Santana that I will be staying a while longer. Tell Diana first, she will understand."

The woman nodded, hurrying off towards the docks.

"So you're staying with me?" Elsa asked.

"Always," replied Adrian.  
  
Elsa returned to her thoughts, realizing the dance was over.

"Are you okay?" Adrian asked, seeing the distant look in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said.

The wedding went along splendidly the rest of the evening. The party had moved into the castle ballroom when it started getting chilly outside, and the featured couple were out in the lobby bidding their goodbyes to those going home.

Elsa was in a pleasant daze, due to the events and the wine, when she heard a loud crash coming from the lobby. She dismissed it as some rowdy partygoers, up until she heard her sister scream.

Elsa immediately dropped her glass and let go of Adrian's arm, rushing out into the foyer. When she did not see her sister anywhere, she rushed outside, her worry turning into panic. She got outside just in time to see Kristoff running along the castle bridge after 3 black horses. The men on the horses were completely enshrouded in black cloaks. Two carried swords while one carried a hunting bow. But the one thing that caught her attention was the person on the back of the middle horse, being restrained by a swordsman.

Her sister.


	5. Chapter 5: Captured

**I didn't exactly know where I was going with this chapter, so I kinda just went with where my ideas were taking me. Please excuse any of the parts that sound Lord of the Ringsish, cause that was not my intent. Please give any feedback you want-it helps me a lot!**

"ANNA!" Elsa screamed, running after her sister. She wasn't able to make it far, as the kidnappers disappeared into the dark of night, heading up the trail towards the North Mountain.

Kristoff continued running up until the riders disappeared past the tree line, then fell to his knees and screamed in hatred.

Elsa couldn't believe her sister had been taken. After 21 years trying to keep her safe, she failed. She collapsed to the ground, the wretched sobs that haunted her since childhood threatening to make an appearance.

Just then, Adrian caught up with her, dropping down and holding Elsa in his arms.

Calmly, yet urgently, he said "Elsa, we need you to pull yourself together. I've already organized a search party, who are preparing to go after Anna now."

Elsa looked up to respond, but never got the chance. Her voice was drowned out by the sound of cannon fire coming from the port. She looked out at the water and saw 3 skirmish ships firing on the city. They waved no colors, nor bore any respective markings. "Pirates," she said, then more loudly, Pirates!" She surged to her feet, running back to the castle. In all her diplomatic and governmental training, no one had taught her what to do in the case of war. Luckily Adrian was experienced in this sort of matter.

Adrian ran up to Arendelle's military general, shouting "Assemble the troops! Do it now, man, before we're blown to bits!"

The general raised his emergency whistle to his lips and blew a single piercing note. Instantly, the palace guards rushed out to meet him, with more coming in from the town. The general wasted no time.

"Colonel," he said, turning to a man covered in medals, "Set up a perimeter overlooking the bay. 50 men, 50 rifles. I want the bay cannons drawn out, loaded, aimed, and ready on my command. Assemble the sailors, and have them meet me on the docks. Should any one of those ships escape, I want us after them immediately.

"Yes, sir!" replied the colonel, signaling to the men around him. They hurried out of the courtyard to the armory.

"Please, your majesty, go inside, quickly." He signaled to two of the men around him. "You two, protect the queen with your lives."

The men nodded, moving to escort Elsa and Adrian into the castle keep.

Just as they entered, two hooded figures attacked them. The first stabbed one of Elsa's escort soldiers with a punch dagger, while the other attacker shot the other soldier in the chest with a crossbow. The first attacker withdrew his dagger from the soldier, advancing on Elsa and Adrian, while the other reloaded his crossbow. Adrian imposed himself between them and Elsa.

"Elsa, run to the docks. Find a ship, and get out of here!" he shouted.

However Elsa was too paralyzed to move.

"Elsa, go, now!" he said, pushing her back out the door. Elsa had just enough time to see the attacker with the crossbow hit Adrian across the head with his weapon, knocking him down. Elsa screamed, building up power in her hands. She was just about to let loose a flurry of ice on the shrouded men when a third tackled her from behind. Before she could react, the attacker locked a set of golden manacles on her wrists. The last thing she saw was the attacker stepping back as a thick bag went over her face. Then, something heavy hit her on the head, and she faded into oblivion. 

-x-

Elsa awoke, a pounding in her head. The black bag was still around her head and she was gagged, and her hands and feet were manacled. She attempted to sit up, but lay still when she heard voices.

"Sire, we have her. Now we just need to ransom her and the other two off and make a pretty penny..."

Elsa recognized the voice of the Duke of Sezerath, a kingdom that were rivals with Arendelle for some reason that happened two centuries ago.

"No, we must make her pay for what she has done..."

_"That's the Duke of Weselton,"_ she thought_. "What's he doing here? Wait, where is here anyway?"  
_  
"No, both of you are wrong. We are to exploit her powers and take over this continent."

Elsa recognized the third speaker, but couldn't place him. _"Who is he?"_ she demanded of herself.

Weselton spoke up. "But sire, how could we possibly do that? Her power is completely contained, and should we..."

"SILENCE!" shouted the third speaker. "I know of ways to exploit her power. We just don't have all the necessary components yet."

Elsa realized just then who the third speaker was. It was the prince of Lodenburgh, Erik. She gasped spontaneously, cursing herself.

"Wait, I think our prisoner is awake," said Erik.

Elsa heard footsteps walking towards her, them the bag covering her head was lifted off.

"If it isn't my pretty little queen of Arendelle. Welcome to Lodenburgh, your majesty," said Erik with a sneer.

Elsa attempted to ready herself to attack him, her eyes darting around, looking for an exit. All she saw was a thick wooden door on the other side of the room. She seemed to be in a dungeon. She flexed her hands, using her anger and fear to ready her magic, but nothing happened. Usually she felt a chill down her arms when her powers were used, but there was nothing. She looked down at her hands, and saw that the golden manacles binding her hands and feet were inscribed with faint words in a language she couldn't identify, and seemed to glow on their own accord.

"That's right," Erik said, seeing her eyes examining the manacles. "They negate your powers. You couldn't possibly believe you were the only one with your abilities?"

Elsa looked up at him, real fear etched in her eyes.

"Those manacles are thousands of years old, made by the Ancients. I'm sure you've heard this bedtime story before?"

Elsa shook her head. Indeed, she had never heard tell of any beings known as ancients.

"Well, the ancients lived thousands of years ago," said Erik, talking as if he were speaking to a child. "They had powers over the elements, just like you. But they also had enemies. The Draeks were a human-like race that grew jealous of the ancients. They discovered their own magic, but not magic to give to themselves, but rather to take away. They went to war with the Ancients, and being more powerful in number, succeeded in taking and storing all the Ancient's powers, turning the Ancients into mortals. The Draeks hid away all the magic, and it didn't reappear until your great great grandfather discovered some in a mine."

That much Elsa did know.

"Tiberius Arendelle, the founder of your puny kingdom, gained the power of ice and snow, just as you have. Over the generations, the trait has only showed up in you. That's why it has taken my family so long to meet with Arendelle. We were waiting for another with the Ancient's magic."

Elsa didn't know how to comprehend what this madman was saying. She had powers belonging to another race of magical beings? Impossible!

"Now, all we have to do is sit back and watch, as those manacles drain your power, so it can be transferred to me," he said with an evil grin.

With that, he turned, gesturing to the other two men, and left Elsa alone in the prison cell.

Elsa sat back against the wall, trying to hold herself together, but in the end she broke down and cried. It was the first time she had cried and not frozen anything, but that did nothing to alleviate the fact that she was helping a madman take over the whole continent.

After the first few hours, she pulled herself together and tried to assess her situation. She was captured, she knew Anna was captured, and Adrian and Kristoff may well be captured too. She was just about to break down again when she heard the lock on the door rattling. Moments later, a hooded figure opened the door and stealthily closed it behind him. Elsa started to try and talk through her gag, but the figure brought a finger to its lips, signaling Elsa to be quiet. He looked through the keyhole, and came over to her side. Upon reaching her, he tucked his lock picks back into a pouch and pulled off his hood. What Elsa didn't expect is who would be under the hood.

Hans.


	6. Chapter 6: Escape

**Excitement ensues…**

"Hnz?" Elsa attempted to say through her gag.

"Shush! Be quiet, we don't want them finding us," he said in a low whisper.

He carefully removed her gag, motioning for her to follow him.

Elsa got up from the concrete slab she had been laying on, following him to the door. The manacles on her feet hindered her, letting her walk half as fast.

"We're going to have to do something about those," he said.

They moved into a dark hallway, lined with more cells.

"Where are we going?" Elsa asked in a forced whisper.

"To get your sister, now shut up," he said.

Elsa grew excited at this, attempting to move faster. While they were searching along the cells, Elsa tried to figure out how and why Hans was here in Lodenburgh, but no logical answers came to her. They finally came to a cell where Hans could hear somebody breathing.

He pulled out his lock picks and a dagger, carefully manipulating the lock until it gave a soft 'click'. They entered to the sight of Anna sleeping on a makeshift bed. Elsa could also see that she had been beaten badly, and was in pain. It took all of Elsa's concentration to not cry out. Hans moved over to her still form, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Worse than I thought," he muttered under his breath.

"Worse? What's worse?" Elsa said in a strained whisper.

"She's not sleeping, she's unconscious. We'll have to carry her out."

Hans gingerly picked her up and made his way back out the doorway. Elsa wanted to know why he was helping them at all in the first place, since he had tried to take over Arendelle by attempting to kill her. They moved along a central corridor up to a staircase, which they ascended to what looked like the basement of a castle.

Hans opened up the first door they came to, quickly searching it for any people. Then, he motioned for Elsa to follow him in, and shut the door behind them.

Elsa finally got the courage to speak to him.

"Hans? What are you doing? Why are you helping us? Why are you here?"

"Knew you were gonna say that," he replied with a sigh. "Ok, look, I was hired by Lodenburgh to take over Arendelle, alright? They had offered 50,000 gold for the job, and it seemed worth it to me at the time. Being the youngest of 13 brothers, I never got any respect. So when this job turned up, I took it. Seems, though, they didn't like me trying to kill you," he said looking at Elsa. "They attacked the merchant ship bringing me home, sunk it, and took me prisoner. I've been stuck here since the day you and Anna arrived. So, since, Lodenburgh never paid me and locked me up, I've decided to fight for the other side."

Elsa looked confused.

"Look, your majesty, you may not have noticed yet, but there has been a conspiracy started against you ever since the incident last summer. This conspiracy joined together with Lodenburgh, who has been spying on your kingdom for 5 generations, to put an end to Arendelle, and to you."

"Oh no," said Elsa. "I've doomed my people to an elimination threat."

"Not yet you haven't," said Hans. "I overheard weasel and Sezerath complaining that they didn't get Kristoff, or this Adam sorta guy. Those two are back in Arendelle preparing for all-out war."

Elsa suddenly felt overjoyed. Adrian was alive! And so was Kristoff! "But you still haven't told us why you're helping me and Anna."

"I already told you," Hans shot back. "I'm against Lodenburgh now, so that means by default I'm with you. And if I rescue you two, I'll be welcomed back to Arendelle as a hero instead of a traitor, and won't have to face the hangman."

"We'll see about that," said Elsa. "But to get your pardon, you have to rescue us first, remember?"

"I'm working on it, alright?" said Hans, looking down at a map. "Alright, here's the plan. We work our way up to the second floor, that's where the exits are. It's 2 at night right now, so that means the guards outside will be off their posts for the night. All we need to do is find that Erik guy and find the key to those shackles."

He lifted Anna back up onto his back, motioning to Elsa to follow him. They moved along past rooms that appeared to be guard barracks, until they came to a commanding officer's office. Hans gingerly and silently set Anna down, moving to dispatch the officer with a blow to the head. Hans caught the officer and dragged him into a nearby closet. He then went into the officer's office and rummaged around for a minute, reappearing with an odd looking golden ball.

"What's that?" asked Elsa.

"It's a key of some sort. I saw them use it to power those shackles you're wearing."

He brought the golden ball close to the manacles on her arms. The manacles began to shake and hum until they broke apart. The instant they did, however, a bell alarm went off in the building.

"No! It must be rigged," he exclaimed. He brought the ball up to her ankles, breaking the shackles there too. This set off another round of bells. Already the two could hear the pounding of footsteps coming towards them. Hans dropped the ball and shackles, not noticing a small blue vial falling out of one of them. It dropped to the floor, shattering on impact, releasing a small amount of snow onto the ground. Hans and Elsa didn't notice this, however, as they were already off and running, with Anna bouncing around on Hans' back.

The three made their way to the first flight of stairs, pushing past a few confused, dreary looking guards, before coming to another floor. They ran along the halls at breakneck speed, dodging furniture and stumbling on rugs. Elsa couldn't see how Hans knew where he was going, but she trusted in his judgment. They reached a third flight of stairs and raced up them, coming to a door Elsa realized must lead outside. However, it was blocked by two armed guards. Hans quickly put Anna down before stabbing one guard, and punching the other. He retrieved Anna, and burst out the door.

Once outside, Elsa could see they were on the coastline of a rocky beach, with several ships moored out in the water. Two of them were Skirmishers, no colors, no names, they were the same ones used to attack Arendelle. She could both were badly damaged by cannon fire. As Hans raced up a path towards a small hill, Elsa tripped on some rocks, falling and hitting her head. Dazed, she saw Hans turning to get her, and about 15 Lodenburgh soldiers down by the beach, giving chase. Hans got to Elsa, pulling her up, and went to go back up the trail. They reached the top, and Elsa saw a small interceptor class Arendellian ship docked in the water, hidden by the hill, and a rowboat on the beach. Hans got to the rowboat, depositing Anna into it, before helping Elsa and himself in. Then he pushed off from shore, and started rowing as fast as he could towards the ship. By then, the Lodenburgh soldiers had reached the top of the hill, and were firing crossbows at them. But Elsa saw men on the ship with rifles, quickly dispatching the soldiers. The three finally reached the ship, and were pulled aboard by the men. The ship undocked immediately, and set off going south towards Arendelle. Elsa collapsed onto the deck of the ship, reaching out to Anna's still form, whom Hans had put down.

"Your Majesty," said a voice. Elsa looked to see her most faithful servant, Kai, concernedly looking down on her. Then Kai pulled her up into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank the Heavens you're alright," she exclaimed.

Elsa looked around the ship, seeing soldiers and men she knew from Arendelle. Then she heap ears someone calling her name.

"Elsa! Elsa!" It was Adrian. He was walking out from behind the central mast when Elsa rushed over and embraced him, kissing him deeply.

"You're alright!" she exclaimed.

"So are you!" he replied.

They embraced again, and heard a muffled groan.

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed. She rushed to her sister's side.

"Uh my head. Where are we?"

"You don't remember?" asked Elsa.

"I remember being taken by this guy in a cloak, then that's it," said Anna.

"We were captured by Prince Erik of Lodenburgh," said Elsa. "Well, I'll tell you about it on the way home."

"Where's Kristoff?" asked Anna. "Is he ok too?"

"Yes, Kristoff is fine," said Adrian. "He is in Arendelle helping to rebuild."

"So we're all ok Elsa?"

"Yes," she laughed, "We're all ok."

Anna was getting up with the help of her sister and Adrian  
when she noticed Hans. He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Hi Anna," he said.

Then Anna punched him, again.

"Now I think we're all ok," laughed Adrian. 

-x-

"Sire, are we to go after her?" asked Weselton.

"No there is no need," smiled Erik. He fingered a blue vial in his hand. "We got just what** we **needed."


	7. Chapter 7: Return to Arendelle

**Made a couple alterations to chapters 2 and 4. I was proofreading it and found I messed up a couple names (I'm a derp). Anyway, enjoy this next section. I included a part about what Hans is thinking, since it was unclear. **

While on the 3 day journey from Lodenburgh to Arendelle, each person on the boat was able to tell their tale. Elsa and Hans told of their escape from the dungeons. Adrian told his story of defeating the Lodenburgh 'pirates' and setting out to find Elsa.

"So how did you know where to find us?" Elsa asked.

"Well, in Arendelle, our cannons were able to sink one of the Lodenburgh ships," he said. "We had patrols out searching the wreckage, and we found 3 survivors. The cowards told us everything after a little persuasion," he said, grinding his teeth. Elsa didn't want to know what Adrian's idea of persuasion was. "Anyway, we found out they were from Lodenburgh, and that they had a prisoner in custody with 2 on the way. The two were you two," he said nodding at Elsa and Anna. "The prisoner they already had was Hans," gesturing to him. "So we prepared a rescue party to go after you two, and used Hans as an inside man. We already had men stationed as guards, but nobody except him knew the grounds. We helped him escape and told him to get you, then we waited off shore," he concluded.

"Wow. I'm so glad Hans was there, or else we'd still be trapped," said Elsa. "So how much damage did the Lodenburgh ships really do?

"A lot, I'm afraid," Adrian sighed. "They sunk three of our ships, destroyed half the dock, one of the castle's towers, 5 buildings, and part of the market. They were able to fire for only 25 minutes though, as General Andworthy handled the situation brilliantly."

Both Elsa and Anna gasped, stricken by the damage done to their home.

"And how many people were hurt?" asked Anna. Elsa looked down at her hands, afraid of the answer.

"13 soldiers killed, 20 wounded. 4 citizens killed, and 27 wounded, including Kristoff," Adrian said, a depressed look in his eyes.

"Kristoff?! What happened to him?!" Anna asked desperately.

"Oh he's fine, just a minor concussion fighting off those Lodenburgh assassins," said Adrian.

Anna looked relieved, while Elsa still had her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking with grief.

Adrian immediately was at her side.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," he told her.

"All those people died because of me," she said into her palms.

"No, they didn't. They died defending their homeland from tyrants. You had nothing to do with it," he said, stroking her hair the way he knew she liked.

She sat up to look at him. "Thank you Adrian. For everything." 

-x-

Hans sat on the bow of the ship, in the light of the moon, thinking about the last few months events. He had his moments of guilt and regret while imprisoned in Lodenburgh, but he wasn't about to reveal them to the others. Truthfully, when he accepted the job to take over Arendelle, he took it just to get away from the Southern Aisles, and for the money. He really didn't have anything against Arendelle, he just had to do something to prove himself. Being the youngest of 13 brothers, all sons of a king, wasn't easy. He wasn't joking when he told Anna they pretended he was invisible.

While he had been thinking, Adrian had come up behind him. Hans tensed when he sat next to him, but didn't move to leave.

After a few moments, Adrian spoke. "I know you mean well to Arendelle now that Lodenburgh betrayed you, I just need to know you mean well towards Elsa and Anna."

Hans stared down into the water churning below the ship. It reminded him of his churning heart. "I really do want to be good, now that I see the folly of my actions," he said without looking up. "I just don't know where my allegiance truly lies anymore. I was betrayed by my kingdom, then I betrayed Arendelle, and now I've been betrayed by Lodenburgh. I can't trust anyone."

"You can trust us," Adrian said, putting his hand on Hans' shoulder. "We all know what you did last summer, but we also know what you did last night. I know both Elsa and Anna are grateful for what you did, and I forgive you for whatever harm you caused them. People can change," he said looking back across the water. "And I am indebted to you for saving my Elsa," he said.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness," Hans replied bitterly. "Or anyone else's."

"Not from what I've seen. What you did can only be the work of a man with a good heart and a true spirit. Fred være med deg, min venn. Peace be with you, my friend."

Adrian patted Hans on the back, before returning to the bed chambers in the stern.

Hans just stared off into the distance.

"Land ho!" shouted the scout master in the crow's nest.

Elsa and Anna rushed out of the ship chambers, excited and scared to see their home. The wreckage of the past battle was clearly apparent, but already there was a flurry of activity in the kingdom. There was scaffolding and construction sites around the fallen east tower of the castle, and already it was halfway done. New frames for destroyed houses were set up, and there were men in boats in the port repairing the docks. At the sight of the ship, the townsfolk started waving and jumping, welcoming their queen and princess home.

The ship moored on the half of the pier that was still functional, and Elsa disembarked to be met by Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, the Prime Minister, General Andworthy, and the castle doctor. The doctor immediately took Anna, and, helped by Kristoff and Sven, set off towards the castle. Elsa, Adrian, the minister, and the general set off towards the council hall to discuss what had happened, followed closely by Hans and Olaf. Hans seemed extremely disturbed by Olaf, keeping a distance between them. When the group reached the council area, Elsa, Adrian, and Hans each told their part of the story to the minister and general. Elsa realized that those two were there to determine if Arendelle should go to war or not. The two men listened intently, and in the end, seemed quite disturbed.

"Prince Erik wishes to take over the entire continent with your powers?" he said, directing his attention to the queen. "That's just preposterous. He cannot really believe his 'magical binders' could steal your power. And even if they could, he would not be able use them."

"I agree with the prime minister, your majesty," General Andworthy interjected. "I believe that we should assemble the navy to confront Erik directly. He has already elected to avoid diplomatic negotiations by kidnapping you and Princess Anna, and his mad plan must be clarified, and if need be, stopped."

Elsa knew she did not want to be the first ruler of Arendelle to declare war on another nation. Neither her training nor her heart were prepared for it. But for the safety of her kingdom and family, she had to. "Alright. We will sail to Lodenburgh in 2 weeks. Have a courier send a message to the king of Lodenburgh informing them of our decision. That is all," she said, before rising from the table. The prime minister and General rose as well and bowed, before exiting to prepare for the conquest.

"C'mon," said Adrian. "It's already 9. Let's go have the servants prepare us some hot baths so we can sleep comfortably on a feather bed instead of a wooden cot." Adrian did not enjoy his extensive amount of time out at sea at all, and looked slightly green.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she replied. 

-x-

Meanwhile, back in Lodenburgh...

Erik fiddled with the blue vial as he sat at his desk, thinking of glory.

"Sire, how do you intend to get the power out?" asked Weselton, gazing at the vial.

"Only one thing can tell us that. It is an ancient secret kept by the trolls. However, I need to learn how to get to the trolls, and only one book contains their location."

"Sire, where is this book? Orethell, the Southern Isles, Xantian, Prugal, Sodenheim? Or is it under a rock somewhere in a long forgotten cave?"

"Something like that," replied Erik. "It is in the Arendelle library."

"Sire, you can't be serious," said Weselton.

"Oh, but I am. Weselton, you are going back to the Snow Kingdom."


	8. Chapter 8: Vacation

**This is a very special chapter. The citizens of Arendelle are savoring the peace, the calm before the storm, when Adrian suggest for him and Elsa to go out on a little outing. They go to Elsa's Ice Palace, where she has a surprise for him. Again, any feedback, comments, or criticisms help immensely! Enjoy!**

Elsa sat next to her sister in the castle hospital, watching her sleep. She was so glad Anna was ok, for the most part, but she still felt angry that anybody would dare to hurt her. Anna was diagnosed by the castle doctor to have several minor cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. She would be able to return to normal life in the afternoon. Just then, Anna opened her eyes. They glanced around, before coming to rest on her sister. Then her eyes welled up and she started crying. Immediately Elsa was panicking.

"Anna! Anna, what's wrong?" she asked, looking over her sister for any blood or muscle spasms.

Anna continued to weep. "It's just that, that, that..." she said between sobs. "We missed Christmas!" she got out, before rolling over and burying her head in her pillow.

Elsa was relieved Anna wasn't hurting, at least physically, but she did feel sad that they missed their first Christmas together as a family.

"Me and Kristoff," said Anna, "Had a big party planned, since it was your first Christmas after becoming queen," said Anna, rolling over to look at her sister.

Elsa felt devastated. She saw that Anna really wanted to make Christmas a family occasion. Then she had an idea.

"Anna," she said, "Let's still have a party. We will make it a grand party, just for Arendelle, to celebrate your wedding, Christmas, the New Year, and our return from Lodenburgh."

"Really?" asked Anna. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course I would," Elsa replied. "You're my sister and I love you."

Anna sat up and gave Elsa a big hug. Just then, Kristoff came in. He still had a bandage around his head from last week's battle, but seemed as lively as ever. He rushed in and gave Anna a hug. Elsa left to give them some privacy.

She left the castle and went to wander the town, surveying repairs. Already, the destroyed houses were as good as new again, the pier and docks were being painted, and the castle tower was drying in the sun. There were ship builders down in the bay, with two skeletons of ship hulls already up. She learned from Adrian that more than half the foreign visitors from Anna's wedding stayed behind to help. The Duke of Prugal was overseeing the shipbuilding, as his vessel was one of the three that was sunk by Lodenburgh. Elsa planned to fully compensate him for it, but he waved it off, enjoying his excuse to stay in Arendelle.

She was making her way along the water by the market when she was intercepted by Adrian. He went in to hug her until she realized he was soaking wet.

"Ah, no!" she cried, shoving him playfully away. "Why are you all wet?"

Adrian went to squeeze out his shirt. "I was overseeing the shipbuilders when I slipped on a rock and fell in the bay," he said with a shrug.

"Let's go back and dry off," said Elsa.

They were walking back to the castle, hand-in-hand, when Adrian spoke.

"I was thinking," he said in a conserved voice, "If you wanted to go on a little outing. Just you and me, somewhere, to get away from the chaos of the last couple weeks."

Elsa thought about this. She knew the Prime Minister had both the repairs and the conquest to Lodenburgh well under hand, and she did desperately want to leave. She also felt that Anna and Kristoff might want the castle to themselves for a while.

"Alright," she said, pulling him in for a kiss. "And I know just where to go."

She led them back to the castle, where she had a servant locate Anna and the Prime Minister to a meeting. She and Adrian told the two what they wanted to do. Anna thought it was a great idea, while the Prime Minister seemed skeptical about it. After some arguing, he allowed it, but with one exception.

"I am assigning 3 of my elite guards to go with you," he said. "What with past events, this is the only way to assure your safety, your majesty."

"Alright Prime Minister," said Elsa. Have them ready by this afternoon.

"Yes, your majesty, right away," he said.

Elsa and Adrian made their way back to their room, where they dried off, changed, and packed.

"Adrian, make sure you pack some winter clothes," said Elsa.

Adrian's eyes lighted up at this. He had an idea where they were going, and Elsa said it was to be a surprise. He had heard Anna and Kristoff talk of Elsa's ice Palace before, but he had never personally visited it, nor even seen it. He packed faster.

They were ready to leave at midafternoon. At the last moment, Anna came rushing up to them.

"Wait, Elsa! I want you to take Olaf with you," she said, dragging the snowman behind her. "He has really wanted to go back to the North Mountain for some time in the snow, so I thought that...oh. I just gave it away, didn't I?" she asked, glancing at Adrian, her cheeks reddening.

"It's fine Anna. He can come along," she said looking at Olaf. "But you are to behave, ok?"

"Right, Elsa. I'll be practically invisible, since, you know, I'm made of snow, hee hee," he said.

"Well c'mon then," she said, gesturing to him. The three hugged Anna goodbye before heading out to the courtyard, where they met with the Prime Minister and 3 guards around the royal sleigh.

"Now you be careful, your majesty," he said, helping Elsa into the sled.

"Of course, Frederick," she said. "Watch out for Anna, ok?"

"Yes, your majesty. She is now on 24 hour guard watch."

Elsa was relieved at this, knowing her sister would be safe. The Prime Minister signaled to the guards, who loaded the luggage. Then, one of them got in the driver's seat of the sleigh next to Olaf while two mounted horses. The guard whipped the reigns, and they were off. They made good time going up the mountain pass. They almost got lost at the summit, until Olaf identified the correct cave to pass through the mountain. He seemed very excited, and happened to impale himself again on an icicle. When they reached the staircase to the Ice Palace, Adrian gasped.

"Wow Elsa, that is amazing!" he said, wonder in his eyes.

"Thank you," she said. They got to the bottom of the staircase, where Elsa took off her gloves to conjure up a stable for the horses, a room to put the sleigh in, and a hut for the guards. She was worried about the guards' comfort, since there was only one bedroom in the palace, but they said they didn't mind in the slightest. They left to go unpack the sleigh as Olaf dived into a snowdrift. Elsa led herself and Adrian up the staircase to the front door. She knocked three times, and the doors opened. Upon entering, Adrian was once again astounded by the spiraling staircase, the fountain, and the chandelier. Elsa forgot how much she had missed the palace. It had been her home away from home, if only for a few days, where she could be free.

They made their way to the second floor, where the remnants of the battle with the Duke of Weselton's men remained. There was the chandelier that almost killed her, the icicles trapping one man to the wall, and the wall of ice by the balcony that had tried to push the other man. Elsa had a wave of fear at the sight. Quickly, she swirled her hands, and the room was restored. She sat on the bed, her thoughts going back to that fateful summer. Her body started to shake, as memories came pouring in. Her fight with the soldiers, fighting with Anna, her imprisonment in the Arendelle dungeons, losing her temper at her coronation, fleeing. And most of all, the still, frozen form of her sister in the middle of an icy fjord.

Adrian sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"There, there," he said softly. "It's not as bad as all that." His thoughts mirrored hers as he remembered the first time she told him about the last summer's events. "The past is in the past."

Those words triggered something in Elsa's mind, a song. She sat up, standing and walking over to the balcony doors.

"C'mon," she said, motioning for Adrian to join her. "I want to show you something." She pushed open the doors and walked outside, leaning against the railing. Adrian joined her, standing next to her and looking out over the mountain peaks. He looked over at Elsa, and saw a distant look in her eyes. Then she closed them, and softly, started to sing.

She sang of snow, her isolation, and how she attempted to contain her powers.

__Adrian watched her, mesmerized. She opened her eyes as she continued, a fire in them he had never seen before.

She sang of how she tried to conceal her powers by limiting outside contact, to be the normal girl everybody wanted her to be.

Elsa suddenly stood much straighter, projecting her voice, all her tears gone.

She launched into a chorus, singing of letting her powers loose instead of trying to conceal them.

She started smirking in the mischievous way he loved. He was getting chills along his spine, and they weren't from the cold.

She sang a stanza saying how she didn't mind the cold. She turned and walked back into the room, her stride confident.

She sang how being away from Arendelle made things look smaller, and how the fears that used to hinder her couldn't bother her. She sang of how she pushed her powers to the limits, and surpassed them. She was free.

She started waving her hands, sending swirls of ice and snow into the air, spinning on her heel. 

She launched back into the chorus, her powers started swirling faster and faster. Adrian realized they were sticking to the walls, creating new designs. He also realized the floor was expanding, getting bigger, as new walls started forming. The guards below grew alarmed, but Adrian gave them a good natured smile, waving to them, signaling it was fine. He turned to watch Elsa again.

Her song changed key, and she sang how her power became apparent all around her, and that her soul was breaking apart. She sang how she would never return to Arendelle, and that the past was behind her.

She went back into the chorus, undoing her hair from its tight bun, letting her braided ponytail fall onto her right shoulder. She sang how the perfect girl everyone wanted her to be was gone.

She turned and walked back to the balcony, extending her arms to the sun.

She sang how she stood in the daylight, letting her inner storms go, before finishing on a very high, sustained note.

She turned back to go into the room, which was about twice its size now, slamming the doors to the balcony closed just as the sun winked out on the horizon, and her song ended.

She stood facing Adrian in the bedroom, tears of emotion flowing from her eyes. Adrian swiftly walked up to her and folded her in his arms, kissing her deeply. He finally knew how she really felt during her time of abandonment. Her song struck a chord in him, making his chest constrict as his eyes began to water. He let her go, staring into her sapphire eyes.

"That was absolutely beautiful," he said.

She smiled back at him, and embraced him again. They stood there, in the magic of love, savoring the precious moment.

**A/N - I really, really wanted to use the actual lyrics to "Let It Go", but I needed copyright permission and a hundred dollars to do so. The actual lyrics made the dialogue sound so much better. I hope you guys can use the references I put in to sing the song in your head as Elsa sings it for Adrian. If you want to know the lyrics to the whole song, Google it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go on YouTube right now and listen to the song.**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I am not associated with nor do I own Frozen. All characters, names, and ideas from the original movie belong to the Disney Corporation. All songs and lyrics also belong to Disney. Original song by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Original song sung by Idina Menzel. I did not write the song "Let It Go" nor do I own it. All rights and ownership belongs to Disney Corporations. Song lyrics adaption used purely for entertainment purposes on the site .**


	9. Chapter 9: Gifts

**Plot twists…be warned…**

Elsa sat alone in the Ice Palace, Adrian sleeping by her side. It was still dark out, but Elsa had learned to be ready to wake up at any hour, as her queenly duties could need her at any time. She naturally woke before the sun most mornings. She started wishing this little outing of theirs would never end, but she embraced the inevitable. It was the 9th of January, and she started listing off important dates in her head. They were to sail to Lodenburgh in a week, so she had to get the Christmas party in order by then. Her own birthday was next month, which she didn't bother to celebrate anyway, as her confinement the past 13 years didn't call for any celebrations. As she was thinking about dates and plans, Adrian awoke beside her.

"Good morning, Snowflake," he said, yawning and stretching. He reached over and gently caressed her back. Elsa was still in her thin nightgown, and the warmth of his hand was comforting. A chill swept through the room, and Adrian quickly pulled himself out of the blankets, grabbing his winter coat from the floor, swiftly putting it on. Though the Ice Palace was enclosed and sealed from the outside elements, it was still made of ice, and had no self-heating abilities. This didn't mind Elsa, as her powers made her unfeeling of the cold, but it sure affected Adrian, who was from a relatively warm part of the continent.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, pulling her to him, and pulling the thick blanket over them both. She nestled against him, her head on his chest.

"Oh, nothing important," she said dismissively, closing her eyes.

Adrian could tell something was bothering her. Not emotionally, yet, but something was making her uncomfortable. He marveled at himself for learning all her little quirks in just a matter of months. "It's alright Elsa," he said. "You can tell me."

"Ok. I was just worrying about the events coming up this month," she said. "Like the Christmas party and the war effort."

"Please love, don't worry about politics and plans now. This is our time." He shifted so he was in a sitting position on the bed, his torso diagonal to the backboard, supported by pillows. Elsa still had her head on his chest, and he began to play with her hair. He ran his fingers through her thick, platinum blonde locks, down the back of her head, and across her long, braided ponytail. He repeated this movement, making Elsa sigh with pleasure. He moved on to touch the contours of her face, delicately tracing her forehead with his finger. He moved down to her large, closed eyes, along the bridge of her nose, and across her sweet lips. Upon reaching there, he bent down and kissed her. She responded immediately, pulling him to her. After a minute or so, they separated, smiling into each other's eyes.

"Do you remember what day it is?" he asked, his eyes dancing.

Elsa racked her brain, trying to remember what today could possibly be. Her mind automatically went to any diplomatic or governmental possibilities, but she realized it couldn't be that, otherwise the Prime Minister would have made her stay. It wasn't a holiday either, at least she didn't think it was one.

While she was thinking, Adrian carefully pulled himself from underneath her, going over to his traveling bag, and rummaging around in it. Elsa stared at him curiously, until he finally emerged with a small velvet box in his hand. Elsa immediately identified it as a jewelry box. "What is he thinking?" she thought to herself. "He knows I don't like jewelry." Elsa always seemed to manage to freeze whatever jewelry she wore, mainly rings, bangles, and earrings, as her power mainly emanated from those extremities. But it seems Adrian thought of everything as he opened the box to show her. Inside was a delicate silver chain, its length decorated with miniature snowflakes. On the pendant, there was her signature snowflake surrounding a small, thin rectangle. "How does he remember what that looks like?" she thought, gazing at the necklace. Sometimes, she marveled at how good of a memory he had.

"Oh Adrian, it's beautiful," she said, tears coming to her eyes.

"Just wait," he said, lifting it from its bed of velvet and placing it on her neck. Elsa touched the beautiful trinket delicately, tracing her finger over the snowflake.

"Look at this," he said, pressing a hidden latch on the back of the snowflake pendant. The rectangle on front suddenly flipped open, revealing a miniature picture of Elsa and Anna, standing together, smiling, on one side, and a picture of Adrian and Kristoff, also smiling, on the other. Elsa tears started to water, looking up at Adrian.

"Happy anniversary," he whispered.

"Elsa cried out, embracing him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Oh Adrian, thank you," she got out, before hugging him even more tightly. He embraced her back, and they sat like that for what seemed like hours, never wanting to let go.

When they finally released each other, Elsa looked out the window, seeing a hint of red on the horizon.

"C'mon," she urged, pulling herself and Adrian up. "The sun's rising."

She pulled them both to the balcony doors, opening them and stepping outside. They watched as the sun rose above the mountains, side by side. Adrian looked over at Elsa, watching her hair blowing in the wind, her eyes still shining with tears. He then thought he saw a shift in her mood. She turned towards him, her smile fading.

"I just realized, I didn't get you anything," she said, guiltily looking down at the floor.

Adrian knew exactly what he wanted from her, but didn't know whether to ask or wait to be asked. He watched her for a few moments, trying to decide what to do, when his problem was answered.

"Is there anything I can possibly do for you?" she asked, still looking at the ground. Elsa knew she couldn't come up with anything in the world to match the beautiful pendant he got her, but she still wanted to know.

Adrian sighed. "You're going to think it's stupid," he said, looking away.

"Of course I wouldn't," she replied, sliding herself over to him. "Just ask," she said, putting a hand under his chin and lifting his face up to look her in the eyes.

"Ok," he said, in a begrudging sort of way. "Could you sing that song again, the one from last night?" he asked, excitement in his eyes.

Elsa started for a minute, not expecting that answer, but then smiled.

"Of course, anything for you." She cleared her throat, closed her eyes, and began to sing, the sound of her voice echoing through the palace and down the mountain.

Elsa and Adrian stayed at the palace the rest of the day, and headed back down the mountain in the afternoon. The guards reported no strange activity, besides some wolf packs wondering the mountainside. They said they had just watched Olaf make 47 likenesses of himself and have tea with them. One guard offered his hand out to another, who grudgingly dropped a handful of coins into it. The third guard amusingly said the two had made a bet on whether or not Olaf would get to 50 by the time they had to leave. The group had packed up the royal sleigh, and were ready to leave. Elsa and Adrian were ready after Elsa melted the temporary structures in front of the staircase. The group was about halfway down the mountain when Arendelle came into view. The look of it seemed off, as everything looked blindingly white in the sun. Adrian realized what it was at the same time Elsa did. He gasped in wonder at the same time she gasped in fear. It had snowed in Arendelle. The sight of the city covered in snow and ice immediately scared Elsa. She gasped, frantically looking at her hands as if expecting a blizzard to come out of them.

"No, no, no, not again!" she cried, not seeing the snow was natural. Being on the North Mountain the past few days, she hadn't seen the weather in Arendelle, as it snowed year round on the mountain.

"Stop the sleigh!" Adrian shouted at the driver, who pulled at the reigns, slowing the draw horses down. The other guards pulled their horses up behind the sleigh, scanning the area for attackers.

"Elsa!" he said urgently, shaking her shoulders. "It's wasn't you!"

"What? B-but, Arendelle, the snow," she stammered, still staring at her hands.

"It's just the weather," said Adrian, trying to keep his voice calm. "Remember? It's January. It's supposed to snow in January." He held her, letting her shock wear off. "It's not you."

Elsa looked at the wintery sight of Arendelle again, trying to wrap her mind around what Adrian was saying. "January, snow, winter," she said to herself, her breath coming in short gasps. She gradually began to relax, her panic subsiding.

"I forgot it was winter," she said sheepishly.

"The guards were still on high alert, frantically looking around for threats to their queen. Adrian stood up from the sleigh.

"Guards, guards! It's alright! We aren't being attacked! Queen Elsa just had a small, erm, panic attack at the sight of Arendelle."

The guards visibly relaxed, but still held their weapons protectively, circling the carriage. The guard driving the sleigh had stood up after the sleigh stopped, but now sat heavily on his seat, his crossbow still in his hands with a spare bolt clenched in his left fist. Adrian hadn't wanted the guards to come along, but he did have to appreciate their training and dedication to their queen. Olaf, on the other hand, looked crestfallen.

"Ohhh," he moaned. "No more summer." Olaf had been enjoying his time as a snowman in the heat of summer, though he still had managed to melt himself on 4 different occasions. Luckily, Elsa had always been there to put him back together. His remark coaxed a laugh out of her.

"It's alright Olaf, summer will be back before you know it," she said reassuringly, patting the snowman on the head. "But for now, we won't have to worry about you melting anymore."

"Ok!" he replied cheerily, his creepily large smile coming back. Can we go down there an see it? I miss winter."

"Of course," said Elsa, smiling bemusedly at his antics.

"Ok!" He turned to the guard with the crossbow. "Onwards Darwin!"

"It's Draef," said the exasperated sleigh guard. He shot Olaf a glare as he stowed his crossbow under the seat, within easy reach, before reclaiming the reigns to the horses. He whipped them, and they were off once again. They arrived down in Arendelle when the sun was setting, and Adrian thought he saw a familiar ship in the bay.

"That's strange," he said, sitting up for a better view. It was the Santana, his brother's ship. He recognized it by the Orethell royal crest decorating the main sails. "What is that doing here?"

Elsa turned to see what he was looking at, recognizing the ship as well.

"It must be your brother," she said. Elsa had not been expecting anybody, least of all Raul. Due to her being captured by Lodenburgh the past week, she hadn't expected any nations to respond so quickly, and she hadn't even sent out any messages.

They rode into the castle courtyard, pulling up to the stables. At the sound of the horses, the castle doors opened, where a distraught looking Anna and Kristoff appeared.

"Anna," said Elsa, getting out of the sled to go to her sister. "What's wrong?"

Anna just shook her head, seemingly to shocked to speak. Kristoff came up behind her.

"You and Adrian need to come with us," he said, urgency and sadness in his voice. "Quickly."

Elsa and Adrian left their group behind, letting the stable hands and guards handle the unloading, following Kristoff and Anna into the castle. A worried Olaf waddled in their wake. They came to the castle receiving room, finding a distraught looking young woman sitting on the far couch. Adrian immediately perked up.

"Diana!" he said moving to go to her. When he reached her, he noticed the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks, his excitement turning to worry.

"Diana, what's wrong?" he said, taking her hands in his.

She looked up into his eyes. "Adrian," she said, her voice quavering, "Father and Raul are dead."


	10. Chapter 10: Grief and Arguments

**This chapter is dedicated to ilovebooksandstuff, a friendly criticizer who has helped make me a better writer for you guys. Enjoy the next installment of my Frozen story!**

Adrian looked at Diana, unbelieving. She looked down from his bewildered stare, turning her attention to the ground. Her shoulders began to shake as she started crying, silent tears pouring from her eyes. Adrian sat up from where he had kneeled in front of Diana, his usual regal posture slumped. He looked around the room, seeing Kristoff holding Anna, who was weeping into his shoulder. Elsa was next to them, her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. A thin layer of ice was beginning to grow on the ground around her. Olaf appeared to have fainted. Adrian sank to his knees as the weight of what he had just heard crashed over him like a tidal wave. He shoved his hands through his hair, a look of madness shooting across his face. Looking up at the ceiling, an inhuman, piercing roar erupted from his chest, shocking most everybody in the room. He collapsed to the ground, unfeeling, unknowing, oblivious to all but his own suffering. His father's and brother's faces started appearing in his head, their facial expressions constantly shifting; smiling, laughing, joking, caring, playful, disapproving, sad, depressed, angry, rageful. They swirled around his head as a thought came to the forefront of his mind - "You will never see them again."

In his grieving, he hadn't noticed Elsa come up behind him. She went as if to put a hand on his shoulder, then drew it back as a flurry of snow was released by it, a look of pain on her face. Kristoff came up behind her, pulling her up. His eyes reflected the sorrow in everybody. He used his head to motion towards the door, a still sobbing Anna on his arm. Elsa got the message, moving for the exit. Kristoff followed her, bending over to pick up the unconscious Olaf. They left Adrian and Diana to grieve together.

The distraught group moved off to Anna and Kristoff's bedroom, entering and dispersing about the room. Kristoff closed the door behind them, and deposited Olaf onto an armchair and Anna onto the bed. He then went over to the opposite wall, laying his head against it and stood, unmoving. Elsa knew why he was experiencing so much grief, compared to the rest of them. He had grown rather attached to Raul. It seems they were interested in many of the same things, and had become rather good friends, spending a great deal of time together whenever Raul was in Arendelle. Kristoff had once said he was like the big brother he had always wanted.

Elsa moved to sit on the bed with Anna, who had ceased to cry, but had a blank look on her face. Elsa was trying to contain her own feelings and emotions, but it was a hopeless task.

She started chanting to herself her old philosophy. _Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. CONCEAL DON'T FEEL. CONCEAL DON'T FEEL!_

Her eyes squeezed shut as a blast of ice shot from her hands across the room, shattering a mirror to fragments. She looked up, horrified by what she had done. She jumped out of the bed, fleeing to her room, leaving a distinctive ice trail in her wake. Nobody followed her, although she heard Anna's cry of alarm. She managed to reach her room and shut the door just as the wave of grief hit her. She started crying, curling into a ball against the door, a wave of ice emanating from her. It spread to encompass the whole room, and snow started to drift from the ceiling. She didn't notice, however, lost in her depression. She cried over the pain Adrian was in, the pain Diana was in. She cried over the funny, polite Prince Raul, never able to tell a joke again. She cried over the loss of the King of Orethell, King Tridus, a jolly, loving old man, courageous and protective of his family and kingdom, much as she is. She knew she should hold herself together, for herself and Adrian, but the stress of the past few weeks that had been haunting her broke through her fragile concentration, leaving her very soul raptured and split. Her mind was eventually overcome by exhaustion, and she fell into a deep, restless sleep.

Elsa awoke, pulling herself out of a nightmare that had everyone she loved disappear before her eyes, one by one. She gazed around her room, disoriented. The room was frozen, and Elsa started trying to remember what had caused her emotions to mount high enough to freeze her room again. Then, all of the previous day's events rushed back into her memory. Adrian's family was dead. The thought caused her to double over with emotional pain once again. She brought her legs up to her chest, her arms wrapping around them. Her eyes began to water, and she started shouting to herself again in her thoughts. _"Conceal, don't feel. Conceal don't feel. Conceal, don't feel._" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold herself together, when someone started knocking on her door.

"Your Majesty?" came a voice, the sound echoing around the frozen room. "Your majesty, the Prime Minister has requested your presence in the dining hall."

Elsa's eyes flew open, her grieving forgotten. She looked out the window and saw the sun was setting. Or was it rising? She attempted to get her bearings on time, stumbling over to the grandfather clock by the door, a gift from the Duke of Xantian. It showed 6:24, but she still couldn't tell if it was morning or evening.

"Your majesty, are you all right?" came the voice again. Elsa recognized the speaker as Margaret, a maid who had been working for her family for over 50 years.

"Yes," squeaked Elsa, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat, trying again. "Yes, I'm alright. Just tell, um, tell him I'll be down in 5 minutes.

"Yes, your majesty," said Margaret, sounding unsure, but leaving nonetheless.

Elsa brought herself to look into her full size bedroom mirror, pushing her emotions into her subconscious. _"Be strong,"_ she told herself. _"Be strong for Adrian."_ She grabbed a hand cloth from the basket by her door, going into her on-suite bathroom. She filled the sink with warm water, dipping the cloth into it. After wringing it out, she proceeded to quickly wash her face and neck, wiping away the smudged mascara and eyeliner that clung to her skin. Discarding the cloth onto the floor, she undid her braid, and quickly ran a brush through her hair. Feeling refreshed, she redid her braid, fastening it with her favorite blue snowflake pins. She was still dressed in her traveling dress from the day before, but it wasn't dirty and didn't smell or anything. Elsa had realized at an early age that her body was never plagued by the human need to bathe. She didn't sweat, and dirt seemed to avoid her. She guessed it was a side-effect of her wintery power, and was one of the few things she liked about her curse.

Heading out from the bathroom, she looked around her frosty bedroom, trying to concentrate enough to unfreeze it. She was half-successful, managing to stop and remove the snowfall, while being unable to unfreeze anything. She realized she was running late, and decided to save the task until later, when she had her feelings under control. Heading out the door, she started making her way downstairs. She noticed the castle was eerily quiet, which gave her the notion it was morning and that the residents and staff were still asleep, which was understandable considering it was only 6:30. She reached the entrance hall, which led to the dining room. Upon entering, she sees Adrian seated at the table near the door, and General Andworthy and the Prime Minister, Frederick, sitting farther down. The General and Prime Minister were deep in conversation, while Adrian looked on. Upon seeing him, she noticed that he didn't look well at all, which was understandable considering the circumstances. His eyes looked bloodshot and they had dark bags under them. His hair was disheveled, as was his clothing, since it didn't appear that he had changed since the day before. He slumped in his chair, staring at the ground. Elsa rushed to his side, startling the court announcer. The man was about to open his mouth to present her entrance, when Elsa held up a hand to him, signaling him to stop. The man understood, backing out of the hall and shutting the doors behind him. Elsa took a seat next to Adrian, refusing her customary place at the head of the table. She looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. Adrian looked back at her, giving her a weak smile. Reassured that Adrian was not suffering on the level he was the night before, Elsa turned to look at the General and Prime Minister, who appeared to be in the middle of a heated argument, and had not noticed her entrance at all.

"We are not going, and that is final!" shouted the Prime Minister, glaring at the General.

"We must go, for the safety of the queen!" replied the General, his mustache bristling.

"And how do you expect to get your navy out, General? Break up the ice with that mustache of yours?" said the Prime Minister, gesturing at the General's rather impressive upper lip.

"How dare you!" shouted the General. He looked like he was about to tackle the minister when Elsa spoke up.

"Ice?" said Elsa, watching the two men with an expression between worry, curiosity, and amusement.

The two men looked over at the interrupting speaker. Upon seeing Elsa, they froze, shock evident on their faces. Then the two bowed as one, knocking their heads against one another. They flinched, separating themselves, while still bowing.

"Your majesty, my most humble apologies, I did not notice you," exclaimed the Prime Minister.

"My apologies as well, your majesty," the General added quickly.

"Rise please," said Elsa. "There is no need for formalities here. Now please tell me what you two were arguing about."

The two men straightened, absently rubbing their heads.

"Queen Elsa, we were deciding whether or not to go forward with the campaign to Lodenburgh," said the Prime Minister, shooting the General a loathing glance. "And I, unlike General Andworthy, feel that it is necessary to postpone the operation until the weather clears."

"What's the weather like for you to postpone the invasion?" asked Elsa.

"Queen Elsa, the fjords have frozen. We also have reports that a blizzard is coming in from the north, and is but hours away."

Elsa knew that the snow blanketing Arendelle had been the start to a long winter, and that it was not, she hoped, her doing. The fjords of Arendelle had a tendency to freeze in the later months of winter anyway, as the bay was relatively shallow.

"My queen," interjected the General, "We must end this threat on your life before it gets worse! Arendelle needs you, your majesty."

"Yes, but if the queen stays here, she will be safe!" exclaimed the Prime Minister, gesturing at the ground.

The General ignored him, continuing to speak to Elsa. "And, if I may be frank your majesty, if you die, Princess Anna is not ready to be lead monarch of this kingdom. Sir Kristoff cannot lead either, as he is not royalty and has married the princess instead of you. Sir Adrian cannot lead as he is not yet a member of the Arendelle royal family." The General glanced at Adrian, making sure he hadn't taken offense, but Adrian continued to stare at the ground. He turned again to Elsa. "Your majesty, what is your proposal on this matter?

Elsa looked back and forth between the two men, her mind swirling with thoughts. After a few moments, she made up her mind.

"Arendelle is not to sail to Lodenburgh until the ice thaws," she proclaimed. Though her mind wanted to teach Erik a lesson, her heart didn't.

The General slumped, as the Prime Minister looked victorious. "As the queen demands," he said. The two men bowed and took their leave. Once the dining hall doors shut behind them, Elsa sat next to Adrian again. He looked up at her, the hint of a smile on his lips.

"Remind me to never argue with you," he said playfully. His small smiled stayed for a moment, before disappearing again.

"Adrian, what's wrong?" Elsa began to feel concerned again.

"Nothing, it's just..." He paused, a look of anguish passing over his face.

"It's alright, you can tell me," said Elsa, reassuringly putting a hand on his back.

"It's just that...I miss them, already," he sobbed, dropping his head into his hands.

Elsa held him, trying to think of something to say. "We can figure out a way to get you home," she said, already planning out scenarios. They could use a sleigh or carriage and go by land, or have the town help break up the ice to get a ship out...

"No!" he said rather forcefully. Elsa looked startled, surprised by his outburst. He saw the look, calming himself. "No, I can't go back. I don't have anything I love there anymore." For all the time Adrian and Elsa had been together, he had never told her or anybody else what his childhood was like. "Arendelle is my home, and will stay my home, from now on," he stated, some of his old regality returning to his voice. He looked up at Elsa, his voice growing softer. "Because of you."

Elsa looked at him, tears coming to her eyes. He was once again proclaiming his love for her. The only thing she could think to do was kiss him. She leaned in, slowly at first, and softly pressed her lips against his, leaning back after a few moments. She smiled, which caused Adrian to smile back. She got up and hugged him. "You're home now, forever," she whispered. 

-x-

The pair of eyes watching the two royals in the dining hall withdrew from the crack in the door, the man who they belonged to softly shutting it. The man was draped in thick, black cloaks, and had a hood over his face. He pulled a piece of parchment from within the folds of his cloak, looking over the short message again.

_Retrieve the book, and eliminate the queen. Do not fail me._

Smiling, the man jumped up, pulling himself into the rafters, disappearing from sight. 

**Ohhh, the cliff-hangers! Sorry, but I just love 'em.**


	11. Chapter 11: Dark Tidings

**As fair warning, this is a slightly dark chapter, with another surprise at the end.**

Elsa and Adrian stayed in the dining hall, sitting alone, waiting for the others to join them. After about an hour, Anna and Kristoff came down for breakfast. Anna and Kristoff seemed to be back into somewhat of their usual happy selves, much to Elsa's relief. They were followed by Diana and another man Elsa didn't know. Upon entering, the court announcer returned to announce them.

"Her highness, Princess Diana of Orethell, and his lordship, Sir George of Orethell."

Adrian got up to hug his sister, while the man named Sir George looked on, a hint of sadness in his eye. Adrian released his sister, moving to embrace the man. His arm around the man, Adrian turned to address Elsa.

"This man," gesturing to George, "Is my godfather, and the Minister of Royalties in Orethell," said Adrian. "He is here to present the will of my father."

Elsa curtsied politely, smiling at the man. "Welcome to Arendelle. I hope your stay will be pleasant."

He smiled as well, bowing. "Thank you, your majesty. Adrian has spoken much of you, and I am glad to finally stand in your presence."

Elsa thought that he was just being polite with his comment, but his smile was genuine, and he did not seem uptight or nervous, but rather relaxed and calm. Elsa gestured at the table.

"Please, do sit. The kitchens will have breakfast ready in a few minutes. Believe me, Sir George, you haven't lived until you've had a proper Arendelle breakfast."

He guffawed, taking a seat. "I am sure that is true."

The table was set with dishes and silverware by the kitchen staff, and was followed quickly with platters of steaming food. Each person served themselves, filling up their plates with expertly prepared eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, bread, jam, and slices of fruit. Servants circled the table, taking drink orders, offering water, coffee, juice, or champagne. Elsa requested a glass of water. When the servants exited the room, Adrian addressed his godfather.

"So, Uncle George, how is Orethell?" he asked, picking at his food.

"It is hanging on," replied George. "The entire kingdom was hit hard with the death of your father and Raul. But Orethell has stood for 500 years, and this will not be what breaks us."

"Do you know what killed them?" continued Adrian, fearing the answer, but needing to know all the same.

George looked around the table, resting his eyes on each person, lingering on Elsa.

"I must ask from all of you that the following conversation does not leave this room," he stated darkly. When the group acknowledged this, he continued, directing his attention to Adrian.

"Adrian, I am sorry to say this, but your father and brother were not killed by accident. They were, in a way, murdered.

The whole room gasped, and Adrian looked up sharply, his previous look of sadness replaced by disbelief. "How could they be murdered a different way?" he demanded, standing up from his chair.

George patted the air with his hands in a placating way, calming Adrian enough for him to return to his seat.

"Their deaths came as a surprise and seemed extremely abrupt. I alone saw that they could not have died naturally, even though the castle physician proclaimed it done by heart attack. I had men look into it, and they found two glasses of water in the room. After further examination, I found that both glasses were poisoned. My men's initial thoughts were suicide, but I wasn't so sure. Your father and brother had no incentive to drive themselves to suicide, unless there was one I had not yet heard about at the time. But that was when I found a possibility for their incentive. I discovered, in your father's jacket pocket, a note, stating that a person named The Storm had killed you, Adrian, and was threatening to kill Diana as well, if the king and prince did not remove themselves from office, permanently. The note went on to say that they could kill themselves with honor, or be killed. I do not know whether their glasses were poisoned by their own hands or another's. What I do know is that your family was blackmailed, which ended in the worst consequence. Luckily, Diana here was on a relief effort to Sodenheim, and was not included in the plot. Currently, the people in this room are the only ones with this knowledge. Your majesty, I am truly sorry to have to tell you this, but you are to be the one to succeed your father and brother as head monarch of Orethell. King Tridus meant to give you and Raul everything should he pass, but with Raul gone, it now all belongs to you."

The room was deathly quiet. Anna and Kristoff were staring at George, their mouths open, food untouched. Diana was staring at the ground, her face blank. No doubt she had already suffered this message at least once already. Adrian was grinding his teeth, his hands clenched into fists. He looked up at George, hate in his eyes.

"I know who did it," Adrian seethed. George looked at him, his sudden interest apparent. "Only one who would call himself a stupid name like 'The Storm'. That scum prince of Lodenburgh, Erik. That bastard has gone too far. He's killed my family, kidnapped my one true love, and laid waste to this kingdom. He must be brought to justice! HE MUST DIE!" Adrian abruptly shouted.

Elsa was startled by Adrian's outburst. Never before had she seen him like this, completely engulfed in rage. She needed her heads of authority immediately. She turned to Anna, as there were no servants in the room.

"Anna, please find General Andworthy and Prime Minister Frederick, quickly. Tell them it is urgent."

Anna nodded, jumping up and dashing out the door. Elsa stood up, going over to Adrian.

"It's going to be alright. We will figure out how to deal with Erik. I've sent for my advisors on war. They should know what to do."

Adrian slumped, exhausted. Elsa helped for him to sit down. She was amazed at the way he was able to control his temper, but knew that inside he was suffering on levels she was familiar with. She recalled when her own parents died, just 3 years ago. Out of grief, she secluded herself once again in her bedroom, not to hide, but to get away. She had been able to hold in her powers enough that they didn't bring the castle down, but they still had free reign in her room. She remembered herself curled into a ball on the floor, completely silent and immobile, while her feelings roared like a tempest blizzard inside of her. She looked at Adrian, trying to come up with a way to comfort him, but nothing came to mind. Then suddenly, an idea came to her. She had never sung to anybody but herself and Adrian, but now she didn't care. She started stroking Adrian's hair, and began to sing. It was the same song she had sung at her ice palace, and her emotions caused it to grow into something magnificent. Adrian sat up, tears in his eyes, but turned to watch Elsa. Kristoff and George watched on in awe. As Adrian listened, he began to let the song embrace him, lifting him up above his suffering. As Elsa started in on the chorus, the words 'let it go' again striking a chord in him, wrapping around his feelings of anger, rage, fear, and grief, consuming them and causing them to melt away into oblivion. She was just starting in on the second verse when General Andworthy and Prime Minister Frederick burst through the door, followed quickly by Anna. Elsa abruptly stopped singing as everybody looked up at the agitated visitors.

"Your majesty, what is the emergency? Are you alright?" demanded the Prime Minister, quickly going to her side. Elsa looked over at Anna, who was standing by the door.

"You told them it was an emergency?" said Elsa, lifting an eyebrow.

Anna looked back at her sheepishly. "I didn't know what else to call it."

The General came up to stand next to the Prime Minister, looking at Elsa concernedly. "Your majesty, please tell us what is wrong," he begged, clasping his hands together.

"Well, it isn't me exactly. It's Adrian."

The two administrators looked over to Adrian, who was looking better, but had a cold look planted on his face.

"Sir Adrian, how can we help you?" asked the Prime Minister.

"Well, this might take a minute to explain. Please sit down."

The General and Prime Minister sat across from Adrian as the servants returned with drinks and to take away plates. They looked extremely confused, as the court announcer had them stay out of the dining hall for the past few minutes. One put a tall glass of water in front of Elsa. Elsa thanked the maid, but didn't yet take a drink. Once the servants had left, Adrian gestured to George,

"This is my godfather, Sir George. He is the Minister of Royalties in Orethell. He is going to tell you the problem."

The General and Prime Minister listened to George intently as he began his story once again. Diana looked terrified, and stood to leave. Adrian went to stand too, but George motioned for him to stay. As Diana exited the hall, Anna gave Adrian a reassuring smile, rushing out after her. Adrian sat back down, assured that Anna would take care of his sister. As George finished his retelling, the two Arendellian administrators turned again to Adrian and Elsa. The General was the first to speak.

"Your Majesty, this is clear incentive to go and put an end to the Lodenburgh tyrant this instant!"

"You fool!" the Prime Minister replied. "The ships and bay are frozen! We could not leave even if we wanted to."

"Yes, but this Prince Erik has clearly violated known directives of war, and must be brought to justice!" responded the General, his mustache bristling.

"Please, gentlemen," Elsa interjected, standing and raising her voice to one of force and regality, to be heard over the bickering men. "We cannot leave Arendelle with the current weather, and neither can we use the Trintium pass to go by land. All we can do is ready our forces by spring to mount an offensive as soon as possible. Do I make myself clear?"

The two men looked at each other, then back at Elsa, before bowing together. "Yes your majesty," they said in unison. Elsa dismissed them, and they made their way back out the door. Elsa sat back down, exhausted by the mornings events. Adrian reached over to put an arm around her, lightly rubbing her shoulder.

"Thank you, Elsa. I was out of line, and you handled the situation beautifully."

"Anything for you," she replied. She reached for her water glass, her throat feeling parched. She took a sip, and froze. It felt as if she was about to choke on the water. She coughed, the glass freezing in her hand, falling to the floor and shattering. She fell to her knees, unable to breathe. Adrian was instantly by her side, holding her up, trying to get her in a position to breathe. Kristoff was already off running for the doctor, while George stared in horror.

"Elsa! Elsa! No, no, no, don't let this be happening!" he cried. "Help, guards! Anybody, please!"

He turned back to her. Elsa was still struggling to breathe, her limbs having gone limp, her eyes wide open in fear. The main dining hall doors burst open, with Kristoff, the castle doctor, the doctor's apprentice, and 4 castle guards charging in.

"Move! Out of the way!" shouted the doctor. He moved to Elsa's side as the guards set up a perimeter, surrounding the doctor, Elsa, and Adrian. The doctor moved sensitive hands off Elsa's face and chest, muttering to himself.

"Herobane and strisic root," he mumbled. "Not enough to be fatal, but, wait..."

Elsa had proceeded to hyperventilate, her eyes fluttering rapidly. "No, no, no, not good at all." He looked up. "Jasin!" he shouted, looking around for his apprentice. The boy appeared instantly. "Quickly-go into the herb cabinet and get the bottle labeled 76B. Hurry boy!"

The apprentice hurried off, as the doctor turned to look at Elsa again. Elsa had started breathing slower, yet extremely shallowly. Adrian looked up at the doctor.

"Please, what's wrong with her?"

"She has been poisoned, by a suffocation mixture that dissolves in water. She has not taken a lethal dose, at least I don't think she has."

The boy returned, holding a small bottle filled with clear liquid. The doctor quickly uncorked the bottle, and upturned it onto a napkin, wetting it on one side. He then proceeded to hold the napkin over Elsa's mouth and nose, forcing her to breathe it. Elsa's body jerked as the chemicals entered her body, but then relaxed as her breathing started returning to normal, fuller breaths. She was, however, still breathing unnaturally slowly.

"What's wrong now?" Adrian demanded, still holding Elsa.

"Well, the potion in this bottle negates the suffocating effects of the strisic root. However, the potion reacts in a way with the human body to put the patient into a coma."

Adrian stared at the doctor, a worried look crossing his face. "How long will she be out?" he asked.

"Hard to say. It always depends on the patient, but not for any more than a week. I couldn't tell you a more exact time than that, as I've only had to use this potion twice." The doctor stood up, looking down on Adrian and Elsa. "We should take her majesty to her bed. I will monitor her vitals."

As the group left the dining hall, heading upstairs to the queen's chambers, a knock sounded on the entrance door. Kai opened it curiously, not expecting anyone so early in the morning. At the door was a very pale man, draped in dark blue and black robes, a hood over his head.

"I'm sorry sir, are we expecting you?" asked Kai politely.

"No," responded the man in a deep, resonant voice. "But I must see the queen immediately."

"I beg your pardon sir, but who are you?" asked Kai, unsure about this strange man.

"I am Raalst. I was a friend of Queen Elsa's grandfather. She should know who I am."

"Alright," said Kai, nervous about this stranger. She thought there was something strange about him, but if he knew the royal family, she was fine with it. She let him in. "May I ask where you hail from?"

"I am from Xerden, a land not near here. It is the homeland of an uncommon sect, one that is centuries old. I am here to represent the Draeks."

**Yes, the Draeks have found Elsa. Bum bum bummm…**


	12. Chapter 12: Sleeping Elsa

**Double chapter release for you guys! Keep the feedback coming!**

Elsa sat up from the bed, her head aching. Disoriented, she gazed around the room, trying to get her bearings. The last thing she had remembered was talking with General Andworthy, the Prime Minister, and another man. While trying to remember, the door opened, and the castle doctor entered with Anna. The two were conversing softly, and the doctor had a fairly large needle in his hand. Elsa looked at them, confused.

"Anna, what's going on?" she mumbled, her throat scratchy.

"Elsa!" Anna screeched, flinging herself at her sister. "You're awake! I knew you could make, it!" Anna jumped onto Elsa's bed, wrapping her in a bone crushing hug.

"Nice to see you too, Anna," Elsa got out. "But it would be nice if I could breathe."

"Oh, yeah," said Anna, letting Elsa go. "We were so worried, what with the coma and the poison and whatnot," Anna rambled dismissively.

"Wait, what coma? And poison? Anna, what are you talking about?"

The doctor came over to Elsa's bedside, setting the needle on the nightstand.

"Your majesty, do you not remember?"

Elsa shook her head.

"An after effect of the medicine, I guess," the doctor muttered to himself. "Your majesty, 5 days ago you were poisoned. I administered a potion to counteract the poison, which caused you to sustain a light coma. Today is January 16th. You have been unconscious for over 5 days."

The doctor rubbed his eyes, clearly distraught. "We were afraid you would not make it, your majesty. The poison that was administered to you was very powerful, and even I do not know all that was in it. I was just able to keep it from killing you right away, but it may or may not have after effects."

Elsa kneaded her head, feeling a massive headache approaching. "Ohhh, my head," she groaned. "Could I get a glass of water?"

"Of course, your majesty. I will..."

"I'll get it," interrupted Anna, startling Elsa and the doctor. "Make sure she's alright, Doc. Be back in a jiffy!" She turned, leaving the room, a spring in her step.

"Anna seems to be, um, cheery today," Elsa said.

"Yes, she does, doesn't she?" said the doctor absentmindedly, flicking his needle. "Now this should be the last one of these, as you are awake and can take medicine through consumption. I'm afraid, your majesty, that this is to be administered through the thigh. Are you comfortable having me do this?" he asked.

Elsa felt slightly awkward, but had little doubt that he had been the one giving her shots while unconscious, so what difference did it make? She pulled down the bedcovers, lifting the hem of her nightgown up past her thigh. The doctor bent over her, inserting the needle and depressing the plunger. Elsa bit her lip at the sting, but held herself still. Moments later, he was done, and Elsa quickly pulled her gown back over her legs.

"Apologies, your majesty," mumbled the doctor, seeing the look on Elsa's face.

Elsa smiled good-naturedly. "No, no, your fine. It is your job after all. Thank you, for saving my life," she added cheerfully.

The doctor flinched, but then smiled and bowed, before taking his leave. As he was leaving, Anna and Adrian entered, Anna with a large glass of water. Elsa quickly took it from her, taking a few large gulps. She waited a few seconds, then sighed as she felt the pressure in her skull begin to subside. Adrian looked extremely nervous while she drank, due to the incident from the last time she drank water. Elsa saw the look, becoming curious.

"What? Is there something on my face?" asked Elsa, touching her cheek.

"No, your face is perfect," said Adrian. "I'm just feeling a little paranoid is all."

Elsa laughed. "Why, what's wrong then?"

"Don't you remember?" he asked, concern covering his expression.

"No, actually. All I remember is talking to Andworthy and Frederick, and that I was poisoned somehow. Funny how that happens, huh?" She giggled, almost dropping her water glass. Adrian rushed over to her, steadying her hand. He took the water from her hand.

"Maybe you should get some rest. You've had a long week."

"But I just got up, and I want to do something," she complained, tugging on his shirt. "C'mon, Adrian! Let's build a snowman!"

Extremely disturbed by her behavior, Adrian detached himself from her, placing her hands at her sides. Realizing her attitude was being caused by the drugs that had been in her system for days, he tried to play along as best he could.

"Of course, my love, we will build a snowman as soon as I talk to Olaf, and get some tips, ok?"

"Ok!" she responded, falling back onto the bed. After a few moments, she was snoring contentedly. Adrian turned to Anna, looking to see what she had to say.

"Well that was odd," she got out, staring at her sister. Doc's potions must be pretty strong."

"Yeah, maybe a little too strong," said Adrian. "I'm going to go talk to him, and make sure he didn't give Elsa something to make her go insane."

He left Anna to watch over Elsa. Leaving the room, he shut the door behind him, nodding to the guards stationed on either side. After this last attempt on the queen's life, the castle guard was doing their utmost at protection. The General had guards stationed all around the castle, and all guests were to be searched before being allowed entry. He had assigned a special unit as the queen's personal guard, to watch her at all times. Adrian also knew that several staff members had signed up to test the queen's food, and all were longtime employees in the castle. They had not yet been able to figure out who exactly poisoned the queen, but Adrian knew Erik was behind it somehow. A stab of rage shook him again, and Adrian fought it, keeping it contained. He would have his vengeance soon enough. He made his way downstairs to the doctor's chambers, knocking on the door.

"Come in," came the doctor's voice.

Adrian entered, finding the doctor sitting at his desk, reading a book. Looking up to see who had visited him, he quickly shut his book, standing and bowing.

"Sir Adrian, what can I do for you?" asked the diminutive man.

"Well, it has to do with Elsa. She seemed extremely, um, cheerful, upon waking up. She was also forgetful of last week's events, and she fell asleep in the middle of a conversation."

The doctor chuckled. "Very unlike our usual imperious queen, eh boy? Do not worry. It is just a side effect of the medicines and nutrients I've been giving her. Her usual mood and memory should return by this afternoon, and the drug I just gave her had a sleeping agent in it. Don't worry, m'boy, she'll be right as rain in a few hours."

Adrian thanked him, leaving the chamber. He wandered out to the main lobby, finding the Prime Minister speaking with the odd man who had showed up at the castle the day Elsa had been poisoned. What was his name, Ralph, or Roger, or was it something like Rast? Adrian approached the two, finding them discussing politics. Adrian stepped up to them, where they stopped their conversation to address him.

"Adrian, I didn't see you. How is the queen?" asked the Prime Minister.

"She will be fine and awake by this afternoon. She is dealing with some, erm, side effects to her medication right now, but should be ready to meet the administration by today or tomorrow."

The Prime Minister nodded, turning back to the man in blue.

"You may see the queen this evening, as you have been so patient in waiting for her recovery," he said. The mysterious man thanked them both, before moving off down the hall, towards the front gates. Adrian hadn't trusted the man beforehand, finding it suspicious that he should arrive on the day an attempt was made on the queen's life. But he had been thoroughly searched by the castle guards, and inspected and interrogated by both the Prime Minister and castle doctor. He had come alone as well, so he was allowed to stay in town and visit the castle during open hours with the public. Due to past events, though, he couldn't stay in the castle, for security reasons. He didn't seem to mind though, coming into the castle each day to ask of the queen's current condition, then heading out to wander about the town. He attracted attention, but not any more as a regular foreign dignitary would receive. Adrian couldn't place his finger on it, but there was something off about the man. He shrugged, heading to upstairs to his room. He passed the guest room where his sister was staying, and sighed.

None of the visitors from Orethell had been able to return home yet, and Adrian still had no intention of returning. George had said that he left the Prime Minister of Orethell in charge. The Prime Minister had been a friend of Adrian's father since they were children, and Adrian felt confident that he would manage the kingdom well. During the time Elsa was unconscious, Adrian had been talking a lot to Diana, attempting to convince her to take over as head monarch of Orethell. She knew that Orethell was not where Adrian's heart belonged, and eventually agreed. George had the will of King Tridus amended so that Princess Diana would become queen once she came of age, and that Prime Minister Ulfric would manage the throne until then. Though Adrian knew his sister would make a fine queen, she was only 19, just two years away from coming of age, and had a lot to learn about politics in that short period of time. He had been planning on asking Elsa to give her some tips while they remained in Arendelle. Realizing the need for the Orethellians to return home, the Prime Minister of Arendelle had asked Kristoff to form a channel through the ice from the Santana to the unfrozen open ocean. Kristoff had acquiesced, tracking down his old ice harvesting team and putting them to work. They were on schedule to having an opening finished by next week.

Adrian had made his way to his room, entering and flopping down onto his bed, thinking about what he could do while he waited for Elsa to wake again. He picked up the book on his bedside table, History of Arendelle, opening it and starting to read.

Elsa sat up from her bed, feeling nauseous. She had been having a dream where she was helping Olaf make a snowman army, which came alive and proceeded to attack Arendelle. She rubbed her hands on her face, trying to rid herself of the sick feeling. Then, like a sack of bricks, the events from the past week crashed back into her head. Adrian's family had been blackmailed and murdered. Adrian was King of Orethell. She had been poisoned. She had been in a coma. Her life was in danger. Her kingdom was in danger. Unable to hold in the feelings of terror, guilt, grief, worry, and anger, she screamed, unleashing a blast of ice around the room. Every fixture, piece of furniture, and available surface was instantly frozen, encased in a thick layer of ice. Still screaming, Elsa heard the sound of banging on the door, which had frozen shut. All of a sudden, two soldiers crashed into the room, breaking through the door and collapsing onto the floor. They quickly got to their feet, unsheathing their weapons and scanning the room for threats. At this point, Elsa had proceeded to curl into a ball on her bed, sobbing into her pillow. Anna rushed through into the room, instantly going to her sister.

"Elsa! Elsa, it's ok! You're safe!" she urged, shaking her sister. Elsa jumped up, grabbing Anna and squeezing her in a hug, crying into her shoulder.

"It's ok, it's ok, you're ok," she cooed, stroking her sister's back. At that moment, Adrian entered the room, rushing to the girls' side. Elsa looked over at him, releasing Anna and embracing him.

"I've b-b-been such a-a f-f-fool!" she stuttered, still sobbing.

Adrian pulled himself up onto the bed, holding Elsa in his arms like a child. Anna signaled to the guards, dismissing them. They nodded, returning to their posts at the door.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault. You're fine now. We're all ok now," Adrian whispered, rocking Elsa gently. He was about to lean down and kiss her when a voice came from the door.

"I wouldn't count on that," said the blue-robed man.****


	13. Chapter 13: Strange Visitor

**A very informative chapter-hope I don't lose you guys!**

Elsa, Adrian, and Anna looked up to see who the disrupter was. At the sight of the blue-robed man, Adrian scowled, Anna gasped, and Elsa looked on, curious. Adrian was about to tell him off when he spoke.

"Your majesty, your life is in danger. In several different ways."

Elsa looked confused, staring at the stranger. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"I am Raalst," the man proclaimed, the hint of a strange accent in his voice. "And I have come to warn you, fair queen. All is not well in the kingdoms of this continent. Your life, as well as the lives of everyone in contact with you, are in grave danger."

Elsa stared at the man, not knowing how to respond. Her diplomatic training kicked in before her instincts did. She stood from her bed, looking imposing even in her nightgown. "You present yourself as a friend of Arendelle and her allies, but I do not know who you are, nor where you hail from. In addition, formal messages are to be delivered in the court or the..."

"SILENCE!" boomed the man, startling everybody. "Queen Elsa, I have come to offer my services as a servant of Arendelle. I should also be allowed the right to free speech in the company of the head monarch, as I have previously earned it."

He reached into his robes, pulling forth a medallion. On it was the crest of Tiberius Arendelle, the founder of the Kingdom of Arendelle, and Elsa's great great grandfather. The Tiberius Crest was a special medal granted only to the kings most trusted advisors. Only 5 had been created, and Elsa knew of only one. It had been her father's. He had worn it at all times, and it had been lost with him when he died. He said it had been given to him by his father, who had received it from his father, who had received it from Tiberius himself. Elsa also knew that Tiberius only gave the medals to his most trusted advisors. Having a crest meant that the owner could receive the King's ear at any given time, scheduled or otherwise. Elsa couldn't believe this man had one.

"Tiberius Arendelle gave me this the day he died," said Raalst, holding out the medal. "And that means that you must heed my words, Queen of Arendelle. You must destroy The Storm immediately, before he overruns this land, casting it into darkness."

Elsa looked at the man like he was crazy, since what he claimed made him over 300 years old, but he stood by his words. "Though you may have the right to speak, you have not answered my questions."

The man swept into a perfect court bow, sweeping his leg out in an arc and bending low, his face down. He then turned the maneuver into something else. He turned on his heel while spinning his torso, his back still bent in a bow, before straightening. It was graceful and exotic, and Elsa had never seen it or anything like it before.

"As I stated before, my name is Raalst. I hail from the land of Xerden, in the far deserts. I come from an unbeknownst sect of people, known in your land as Draeks. We are sorcerers, your majesty."

Elsa gasped, for several reasons. First off, Xerden had been claimed by the sea over 700 years ago, in a legendary flood known as The Trinidad. It was part of the smaller continent of X!liath, which was 3 months travel away, by sea. Secondly, Elsa recognized the name 'Draek'. It was the same one Erik had used when she was imprisoned in Lodenburgh. The ones who supposedly fought a race known as 'The Ancients', who possessed supernatural powers over the elements. The Draeks had defeated the Ancients, stealing their power and hiding it away from the world, while turning The Ancients into mortals. Elsa had never before heard of the Draeks or Ancients, thinking Erik insane when he told her. But now, she realized his story was true.

"I have some experience with your people's artifacts. I was contained by manacles of Draeken make, in Lodenburgh. They contained my powers."

"Ah, my dear queen, they don't just contain the Ancient's powers. They siphon them from their very blood. Young Erik found some of older make, as they took much longer to collect the power. He did not keep them on long enough, it seems, to completely take your power," he said, glancing about the frozen room. "Us Draeks, however, have perfected the Ancient's powers, imbuing them into ourselves. For example..." He waved his hand about the room, the ice melting and dispersing wherever his hand pointed. Elsa, Adrian, and Anna looked on, dumbfounded. Seeing the look, Raalst chuckled. "Yes, your majesty, there are others with powers over the elements."

Elsa looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you really here?"

"To protect my people from destruction. We are almost extinct. Only 12 of us remain, and are dispersed across the world, in hiding. We are immortal, but we can still be killed. I wish to protect you, dear Elsa, as you are the next generation to carry on the Draek's beliefs. That power over the elements must be only used for the good of nature, and all of nature's gifts to the world. That includes humans. What I fear is what happens when this burden is attempted to be used by those who wish to abuse its power. Tiberius was nearly consumed by his own powers, until I came and taught him how to control them, to use them for the good of the earth and its people. Erik is one of those people who would abuse the sacred power, to destroy instead of assist. That is why I wish to protect you, your majesty, as you are the only one who can stop him."

Elsa looked at him, lost in his words. What he was saying was revealing an entire world she never knew existed. His last commented worried her. "Why am I the only one who can stop him?" she asked.

"Because he is attempting to imbue himself with your essence. Only the original host of the power can destroy a copy."

Elsa thought about that for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts on her situation. "Thank you, Raalst, for delivering this information. You may accompany me as part of my personal guard." She went to her desk, pulling out a piece of parchment, writing her decision onto it. She then went over to Raalst, handing it to him. He accepted it, bowing before her again. "As my queen decrees," he said, before swiftly turning and leaving. Elsa sat heavily at her desk, resting her head on her hand. This had been an extremely stressful and weird winter so far. Adrian came over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, yes I'm alright. Just tired. Tired of it all," she grumbled.

Adrian smiled, pulling her up. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat."

Elsa just then realized how hungry she felt, her stomach growling loudly. She laughed. "That sounds like a great idea."

The assassin entered the tavern, nodding to the bartender, before seating himself at a table. A few moments later, another man, draped in black and red robes, entered. The man nodded to the bartender, gesturing to the assassin. The assassin followed the man into the back room of the tavern, who closed the door behind them both. The man lit a candle, placing it on a small table in the tiny room. Then, the man attacked the assassin, shoving him against the wall. The assassin on instinct drew daggers, but the man batted them away. The assassin was about to reach for his sword when he found his hands frozen to the wall. He looked down, finding his torso and feet to be in the same predicament. The assassin looked at the man, about to speak, when the man punched him across the mouth.

"You are a fool for trying that on me," said the man, his voice extremely deep and raspy. "I am not your employer, who I know you were expecting this evening. In actuality, your employer works for me, and we both seek the same mutual cause, which is the end of this land." The man clasped a hand around the assassin's throat, choking him. "I should kill you for your failure to eliminate the queen. You know she is a threat to our cause. And yet you attempt to poison her, which is already known to be an unreliable tactic. I thought I told my man to hire the best, but instead, all I get is you, a worthless slug." The man released the assassin, who gasped for air.

"Please, give me another chance! The queen will die, I promise!" the assassin begged.

"You better, or it will be your head I place on a pike, not hers!" growled the man. The assassin felt his icy bonds melt away, and he fell to the floor. By the time he picked himself up, the man was gone. 

**A/N: I revealed a lot of new material in this chapter. If anything confused you guys, or if you want me to expand on anything I revealed in the story, please post it on the comments or PM me and I will clear it up or include it for you!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Past is In the Past

**This is another special chapter, and I'm uploading it on my birthday! Yay me! Anyway, here is an extra-long segment for you guys, which focuses on the history of Adrian. Enjoy!**

Due to Raalst's warnings, the General and Prime Minister feared for the safety of the queen, enacting even more safety measures for her protection. They assigned 4 elite guards to accompany her at all times, along with an officer named Captain Arturian and Raalst, as her personal guard. They limited her contact with the public, and only Anna, Adrian, Kristoff, and Olaf could freely speak to her. Elsa hated the new additions, but grudgingly accepted them. She did not fear to die herself, she feared the impact that would result if she died. What she hated most about the new program though was the containment, almost like a quarantine. She was only able to leave the castle at specific times, and had to stay with her personal guard at all times. She could have somewhat of her own privacy in individual rooms, but was required to have at least Raalst and/or Captain Arturian in the room with her, with the bathroom being an exception. Elsa got her complaints and rejections out, but the General and Prime Minister were set on their decisions. She just had to endure it for the next few months, until the ice thawed and hey could finally make their way to Lodenburgh.

While in her containment, Elsa mainly occupied herself with planning for coming events. General Andworthy had the military arrangements taken care of, so she worked with Anna planning the Christmas party. Due to the attempts on Elsa's life, the Prime Minister felt extremely nervous with having a big party, but had to allow the queen at least some type of luxury to draw her mind off of more serious problems. Between the party and conquest plans, Elsa tried to spend as much time with Adrian as possible. She had been separated from him for too long, including the entirety of November, as he had to resolve some issues in his own kingdom, and was extremely delayed in his return.

The two sat in the gardens, Elsa's guard just within earshot of them, but far enough away for privacy. Elsa was sitting in Adrian's lap, her head on his shoulder. They had been talking about Elsa's childhood, which was a painful conversation.

"So after you hit your sister with ice, Grand Pabbie took away her memory of your powers?" Adrian asked.

"Yes. He removed all the memories of me using magic with Anna. But he manipulated them so that Anna kept the memories of us playing. That was what hurt her so much when I separated myself from her. She thought we had been getting along fine together, then I just shut her out, and she never knew why until last summer."

Adrian felt Elsa tense up, and knew she wanted to get off the subject.

"You know, I just realized, you've never told me about your childhood," said Elsa.

Adrian grimaced, thinking about his childhood memories. "I don't think you'd enjoy hearing my story. It isn't exactly a very interesting subject."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as mine," Elsa responded. She snuggled up against him, making herself comfortable. "Tell me, please."

"Oh, alright. Where should I start..." 

-x-

_Adrian and Raul ran into their father's study, looks of excitement on their faces. "Father, father!" they shouted as one. "Come play pirates with us!"_

"Oho!" cried the king, being tackled by his young sons. "You two rascals aren't afraid of me beating you again?"

"No father!" exclaimed Raul. "We can get you this time!"

King Tridus laughed, picking up both boys and swinging them up onto his shoulders. They cried out in joy, kicking their feet as he carried them down the hall to their room. He deposited them on the bed, going over to their toy chest. "Let's see, shall I use a sword or a spear this time?" he asked rummaging around the chest.

"Use the spear!" said Adrian. "You're too good with the sword! It wouldn't be fair."

"Alrighty then, Adrian. But don't say I didn't warn you. When I was your age, I was the best jousting champion in the realm!" The king picked a wooden staff from the chest, swinging it around wildly. "Hya! Take this, you felons! You cannot best me!" exclaimed the king, swinging the staff at imaginary enemies. The two boys were on the bed, howling with laughter. "Oh wait, two more scurvy pirates to the east!" cried the king, pointing the staff at the boys. The boys squealed, jumping up from the bed and running for the toy chest. They quickly grabbed two wooden swords, facing off against the king. "You meddling dogs will not take my kingdom!" bellowed the king, making a ridiculous pose with the staff above his head, twirling it and nearly hitting a lamp. The boys screamed their battle cry, rushing to attack. They swung at the king, who did his best to block their wild attacks. "No!" he cried, as Raul grabbed his staff. "You have unarmed me! Have mercy on my soul!"

The boys shouted their disagreement, jumping onto their father. He laughed, grabbing them and flipping them onto the bed. "But you have underestimated my capability for unarmed combat! Feel my fingers of doom!" He started tickling them, and the battle dissolved into a tickle fight. After a few minutes, with all three breathless from laughter, their mother walked in on them.

"What are you three doing in here?" she asked amusement in her eyes.

"We were trying to defeat the evil king!" exclaimed Raul.

"Yeah, we were the pirates conquering the kingdom!" added Adrian.

Their mother laughed. "Well, it's time to stop your conquest against your father and get ready for dinner."

"Yes mom," said the boys.

"Yes mom," added the king.

The queen rolled her eyes, leaving the three and going to the kitchen.  


-x-

"It sounds like you had a lot of fun with your father and brother," said Elsa, but then flinched when she saw the look of sadness in Adrian's eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No, no, you're fine. I'm done dealing with them being gone. I never liked Orethell anyway," he grumbled.

Elsa looked at him, trying to decipher his emotions so she could help him. Failing that, she changed the subject.

"So when you and Raul were having this grand time together, what happened with Diana?" she asked.

Adrian grimaced again, this time a tear coming to his eye. Elsa looked crestfallen. No matter what she said, she was just making him depressed. "I'm sorry, Adrian. I don't need to know. We could do something else if you want."

"No, I've kept this memory contained for far too long. You deserve to know. I need to let it out, like you let out your story the night we met." He sighed. "I was 12 when it happened, in the earthquake 10 years ago..." 

-x-

_The servant knocked on the princes' door, meaning to wake them._

"Who is it?" came a groggy voice.

"It is Martin, young masters. Your father wishes for you to be up and ready for the guests from Trintium."

Trintium was a mountain town near Orethell that served as a way station for travelers and regular folk wishing to make the journey through the Ardanian Mountains, through use of the Trintium pass. It was an extremely large town, which was odd considering it was on a mountain plateau. It had been founded by ice harvesters who wished for a more permanent settlement so they could mine and store their ice easier. It became large enough that one of the kings of Orethell, King Frye, wanted to make it its own kingdom. The people of Trintium declined, but accepted the idea of making a government. They Trintians were different in that they only allowed a woman to be head monarch of their society, and that this monarch was made ruler not by blood ties, but by vote. Orethell and Trintium had been inseparable friends ever since.

Adrian and Raul looked up at each other, excited. Never before had they been allowed to meet with royals from other kingdoms, as their mother thought they were too young and rowdy. But as they grew older and more mature, their mother finally acquiesced, seeing as how they could meet with members of a friend of Orethell's. The two boys quickly got dressed in their finest clothes, which their mother had already set out for them, before making their way down to the receiving hall.

"I hate these shoes," complained Adrian, hopping about as he walked. "They seriously pinch my feet."

"Ah quit you're whining," said Raul, rolling his eyes. "We can ask mother to get you new ones later. Just deal with it for now."

Adrian always looked up to his big brother, and followed him around incessantly. Raul was 5 years Adrian's senior, at 17 years old. He had already started the training that would get him ready to receive the throne should his father be relieved of it. Neither boy wished this, however, as they thought their father was the best king ever. And they weren't the only ones. The people of Orethell adored King Tridus. He was a very jolly man, slightly plump yet had the arms of a much younger man. He had married Queen Esther out of love, as she had been a commoner growing up, albeit a well moneyed one. Her father was the best tailor of Orethell, and it was considered a sign of status to have one's clothes made by him. It was said that the king ripped his own pants every other day, and would personally deliver them to the tailor just to court his daughter. King Tridus was also known for holding lavish parties in the Orethell castle, walking around town and greeting the masses, providing for the poor and disabled, and was claimed to be able to elicit a laugh from anyone with his witty remarks. The heads of government of Orethell loved the king as well, claiming that he knew more about running a kingdom than all his predecessors combined.

The man himself was waiting in the receiving hall as his sons entered, opening his arms for a hug. Though they were older and not as playful, the two boys still rushed into their father's arms.

"Oho! So you two rascals aren't old enough to reject a hug from the old man!" he said jovially, ruffling each boys' hair.

"C'mon, father, I just brushed this!" exclaimed Raul, smoothing his hair out with his fingers.

"And you will brush it again, should you look silly with it!" said their mother, coming down the stairs to join them.

Queen Esther was said to be one of the loveliest woman in all of Orethell. Tridus had told his sons that the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew he was a goner. The queen had large, bright green eyes, dark blonde hair, and a heart-shaped face. She was quite lean and strong as well, as she had learned gymnastics when she was a young girl. She walked up to the three men, bringing them together in a huddle.

"Now I want you all to behave yourselves in front of the Monarch of Trintium, alright?"

The three all nodded their heads, smiling.

"Ok, good, because I think they're here."

Coming through the main entrance was a regal looking young woman in a flowing blue dress, followed by a young girl, maybe 9 or 10 years old, and an even younger boy, maybe 5 years old. The woman was quite beautiful, the boys noticed, and the girl looked to be the spitting image of the woman. The boys guessed she was the woman's daughter. The boy had similarities, but not many to the other two. He started to attempt to run down one of the halls, but a nanny in blue servants garb caught him before he could get anywhere.

The royal announcer of Orethell introduced them.

"The royal monarch of Trintium, Lady Freida, Princess of Trintium, Lady Diana, and Prince of Trintium, Sir Gabel."

The woman, Lady Freida, curtsied before the Orethell royal family, as did the girl, Diana. The boy ran up behind his mother, clutching her leg, looking scared.

King Tridus, Raul, and Adrian bowed in return, as Esther curtsied.

"Welcome to Orethell, my lady," said Tridus. "It has been too long since you've graced these humble halls, but I might add, they could use a woman's touch."

Lady Freida laughed, looking about the room. "I am sorry, your highness, but I think I must agree with you."

They laughed together while Esther rolled her eyes, a bemused smile on her face.

"No, my lady, please call me Arthur. My dearest friends should not have to address me so formally!"

"Well, if you insist," Lady Freida said. "I was never one for formalities either. Please call we Fray. I never did like the entirety of 'Freida'."

"If you insist, as well," Arthur replied. "Please, come with me to get out of this chilly hall, before my bunions freeze off."

The group walked to a sitting room, where several couches surrounded a roaring fireplace.

"My, this is nice," sighed Fray, relaxing into a couch. Her daughter and son took seats next to her. "You would not believe the weather on the journey down the mountain."

"No, I really could not, my lady," Arthur responded. "Please, let me introduce you to my family. This is my wife, Esther, and these two fine young gentleman are my sons, Adrian and Raul," he stated, pointing at each boy.

"Very nice to meet you," said Fray, nodding her head at each introduction. She turned to her own family, gesturing to each one. "This is my daughter, Diana, and my son, Gabel." Diana waved shyly, while Gabel sat terrified between his mother and sister.

"Very nice to meet you both," said Arthur, warmly smiling at each child. "Well, shall we get down to business then?"

The two royal families discussed trade from Orethell to Trintium, mainly consisting of food. Orethell had many large farms, and provided much of the lands' crops. Once negotiations were finished, Arthur noticed the time.

"Dear Lord, is that the time?"

The others glanced at the clock in the room, which read 12:20.

"It looks like lunch is in order. Would you care to join us?" asked the king, offering his hand to Fray.

"Why of course," she replied.

The king led the way to the dining room, where the table was already set with utensils, plates, and food. The group found their seats, and started in on small talk. The king was halfway through a story where he had gotten attacked by a possum, causing the whole table to howl with laughter, when a violent rumble shook the palace. Everyone looked around the room, alarmed, when the rumbling started again, even more powerful than the previous time.

"Earthquake!" shouted the king, his usually jovial manner gone. "Under the table, now!"

Everybody crowded under the large dining table when a chunk of roof came down, smashing the other end.

"Ok, maybe not. Everyone, outside! Move!"

Everyone scurried out from under the table, when the door leading out to the entrance hall collapsed, a pile of rubble in its place. Then, all of a sudden, the rumbling stopped.

"Hold very still," the king whispered, the group formed into a very tight circle. Little Gabel had started crying, and Fray picked him up, holding him to her chest, cooing to him. A large cracking noise echoed around the room. Adrian looked up, seeing a huge seem making its way across the ceiling. He was about to tell his father this when the entire roof gave way, and the last thing Adrian saw was 10 tons of rock falling towards him.

Adrian awoke on a cot. Confused, he looked about the room, seeing cots like his around the room. After a few more moments, he realized he was in the town medical building. He attempted to sit up, but quickly laid back down when an excruciating amount of pain permeated his lower back, making him cry out. Immediately, the town doctor was rushing to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him still.

"Please, your highness, do not move! You sustained a very serious injury, and any movement could disrupt its wrappings."

Adrian looked down, seeing a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his bare midsection. Looking up the doctor, he asked a question.

"What happened?"

"Well, Orethell was struck by a huge earthquake. It caused a whole wing of the Orethell castle to collapse, trapping you and your family, along with the delegates from Trintium. It took us 4 hours of digging to find you, your highness."

The doctor wiped a hand across his sweating brow, clearly exhausted.

"Are..." Adrian coughed. "Are they ok?" he asked, his voice coming out no stronger than a whisper.

The doctor looked depressed at this question, and Adrian immediately panicked. "Your highness, you, Prince Raul, and King Tridus all made it out, along with young Princess Diana." The doctor swallowed nervously, then quickly said "Lady Freida, Prince Gabel, and Queen Esther did not make it. They were killed instantly by the rubble. Adrian lay back onto his pillows, as a wave of guilt, fear, and depression washed over him. He attempted to contain it, but in the end it was an impossible task. He broke down and cried.  


-x-

Elsa had her mouth covered by her hands, a look of disbelief in her eyes, as Adrian finished his story. She had heard about the deadly earthquake in Orethell, as her father had sent relief aid there himself, but she had not known the details. She had been too young. As she looked at the depth of depression evident in Adrian, she finally realized he had suffered as much as she had. They had both lost parents to the destructiveness of Mother Nature. Elsa truly didn't know what to say, but knew she had to say something,

"Oh Adrian, I never knew, I'm so sorry," she whispered, touching his cheek.

At her touch, he looked up into her eyes. "I can't bear to lose anyone I care about again. All I have left is Diana, and you. If I lost one of you, it would be the death of me. Though it feels as if I've already died inside twice now, and the only thing keeping me alive is you." He held her closer, unable to let go. He brought his head down to hers, and Elsa didn't hesitate, pressing her lips against his. When they resurfaced from the kiss, both feeling better, Elsa asked another question.

"So is that how Diana became your sister? Your father brought her into his family?"

"Yes, it is. My father had always been one for kind acts, and this he felt he sort of owed Diana. He felt he had killed her mother and brother, and he carried that burden with him to the grave, even though the three of us attempted to convince him on numerous occasions that it wasn't his fault. With no family to go back to in Trintium, since her father had died on an ice mining trip, Diana agreed to stay with us. She was sad at first, but grew accustomed to living in Orethell, as she was so young. It wasn't until she was 15 that the weight of what happened finally hit her."

Adrian looked at the ground, biting his lip. "She still hasn't recovered from it, but she loves me and loved my brother and father fiercely. Now that they are gone, I am all she has left."

Elsa felt extremely bad for Diana. She had suffered the loss of 5 loved ones in her life, and now had the burden of the throne to deal with. Elsa wondered how the poor girl was still sane. She suddenly felt a strong surge of anger at Adrian, what with him making her deal with the chore of being a head monarch. But then she realized if he became king, then they couldn't be together. Her emotions of anger, sorrow, and jealousy flowed through her uncontained, causing her to shoot a blast of ice into the trees. Realizing what she had done, she jumped up from the bench she and Adrian were on, holding her hands underneath her arms. Adrian stood with her, going to hold her.

"It's alright, you're fine. It wasn't your fault. Diana is a lot stronger of a woman than you think."

"It's not that," Elsa replied, tears in her eyes. "I just felt angry at you, since you're making her be queen after all she's been through, but then I felt jealous, because if you became king I wouldn't get to see you anymore, making me feel selfish. I don't know, it's all just too much," she cried, her own self-loathing consuming her.

The guards and Captain Arturian arrived at the scene, taking in the sight of Elsa crying on Adrian's arm. The guards had their weapons drawn, attempting to locate threats. Adrian waved them off, but they refused. Scowling, he turned back to Elsa.

"Please, love, its fine. I don't blame you in the slightest. Its part of what I love about you-you're so emotional. It's what makes you unique and special. Just remember who we're fighting for, who we're being strong for."

He lifted up Elsa's snowflake pendant, which she never took off now, opening the latch and showing it to her. Then, he lifted up a pendant of his own, which had been hidden by his shirt. It was simpler than Elsa's, and had the Arendelle crest on the end where Elsa had her snowflake. It too encircled a rectangle, which Adrian opened. Inside, on the left, was a picture of Adrian's family, from around the time of the earthquake. They were all smiling happily, their eyes glistening with love. On the other side was a picture of just Elsa, in one of her blue ice dresses, her hair in a braid down her shoulder. Elsa looked from her own pendant to Adrian's, taking his message to heart. _Be strong for your loved ones. Be strong for your loved ones.  
_  
Elsa knew that from that point forward, she had a new philosophy. Her time of 'conceal, don't feel' was behind her.

_**The past is in the past, let it go, let it go, and I'll rise like the break of dawn. Let it go, let it go, that girl of the past is gone. Here I stand, and here I stay, let the storm rage on.**_

Let the storm rage on.**  
**

-x-

**My new favorite part of the story, right above this note.**

A/N: For realism purposes, the earthquake in Orethell was a 7 on the Richter scale. Also, I know that pictures weren't invented in the early 1800's to put in Elsa and Adrian's pendants, so just go with it. It is called Fan_**Fiction**_** after all.**


	15. Chapter 15: Forgotten Frenemy

**I completely forgot I had included Hans in this story! Sorry, Hans, I left you behind in chapter 7. Here's the chapter where I being him back in, and incorporate him back into the story. Again, any feedback from you guys is what keeps me writing! Enjoy!**

****

Hans had been away from Arendelle for a while, trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He knew he couldn't return to the Southern Isles, as his entire family thought him dead. He couldn't return to Weselton, either, or Sezerath. His past employers would kill him the moment he set foot in their kingdom. He was a physical and emotional wreck, and couldn't bring himself to forgive himself of the crimes he had committed against Arendelle and its people, particularly Anna.

He had been living in the hamlets and towns of Arendelle the past week, and was unaware of the attempts made on the queen's life. He decided, finally, to go back down to Arendelle and confess in his actions. He seriously hoped that they would be merciful. He had nowhere else to go.

Hans located a stable, renting a horse from the distracted owner. The owner was attempting to tame a wild mountain stallion, and wasn't having much luck. Hans approached him, since he knew more about horses than he cared to admit. The people of the Southern Isles were avid horsemen, and masters at taming and riding all breeds of stallions. Hans went to the edge of the gate of he pen where the owner was attempting to mount the horse.

"I wouldn't put my foot there," said Hans, distracting the owner. The owner looked up, and was tossed from the saddle by the crazed horse. He landed on his rather large posterior, before standing and cursing.

"Would you like some help?" asked Hans, amused at the owner's lack of experience.

"Aye, it looks like I could," he said, coming over to Hans as the horse ran to the other side of the pen. "Names Hob. You know how to tame horses, boy?"

"Yes sir. I was practically raised on a horse," Hans replied, shaking Hob's hand. "Mind if I give that one a go?"

"By all means," Hob agreed. "That one's been givin' me grief since we caught 'er last week. One 'a the craziest beasts I ever saw."

Hans smirked, vaulting over the fence. He was wearing hunting clothes, made for the wilderness, but they were comfortable and he felt he could ride in them. He approached the horse, who was grazing on the other side of the pen. The horse had a jet black coat and mane over a well-proportioned and strong body, with large, dark brown eyes, which almost seemed black. He had to admit, she was one of the prettiest horses he had ever seen. Her eyes narrowed as Hans got near. He saw that Hob or one of his employees had gotten a saddle on the beast, God knows how, and that it had well managed stirrups hanging from the sides. Carefully, moving slowly, Hans made his way to the side of the horse. He made sure to do so calmly and without sudden movements, to keep the horse where it was. In one swift movement, he stuck his foot in the left stirrup, hoisting himself atop the saddle. Instantly, with all the force she could manage, the horse bucked, attempting to dislodge him. But he was faster, leaning over and wrapping his arms around her neck, slowly beginning to squeeze. The horse bucked and whinnied, running around the pen at top speed. She even resorted to crashing herself into the pen sides, but Hans kept his grip, increasing the pressure around the horse's neck. After about 2 minutes of craziness, in which Hans felt thoroughly nauseous, the horse slowed to a jog, then a walk. Hans kept his grip a moment longer before slowly releasing the horse, grabbing the reigns. He pulled left, and the horse turned left. He pulled right, and the horse turned right. He pulled back, and the horse stopped. Getting himself situated, he whipped the reigns, and she galloped forward. He felt the air rush past his face, through his hair, and he relished in it. He had forgotten how much fun he had in the Southern Isles, racing his brothers across the fields. After a few more minutes of this, he slowed the horse down again, bringing them to a stop right in front of an agape Hob, and about 7 of his workers. Hans dismounted, going to rub the horse's neck, before coming back to Hob.

"That was right well impressive, boy," exclaimed Hob, staring at Hans. "I 'ent never seen horse breakin' like that before."

"Well I'm glad I could help," said Hans, before heading for the exit.

"Hold up there, boy!" shouted Hob, running up to him. Hans looked back at him quizzically. Hob pushed the money Hans had given him for the rental horse into his hand. Hans looked even more confused. "I want you ta take 'er, free o' charge," said Hob, nodding his head back at the horse. "You earned 'er, and taught me a few things 'bout tamin' horses too.

Hans shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that. I'm not worthy of a gift like that."

"Ya can, and ya will," said Hob, smiling. "C'mon, let's get some tea while I write up yer papers."

They went into the building next to the stables, which seemed to be Hob's house. Hob located a piece of parchment and a quill, before sitting at his desk. He wrote up a bill of sale, signing it and having Hans sign it as well.

"Mountain stallion, black, 3 years old, ok then. Now all we need for this here document's a name. Whadaya wanna call 'er?"

Hans thought for a moment, before coming up with a name. "Nighteye."

"Nighteye it is," said Hob, writing the name down. He handed the bill to Hans. "Thank you, son. Happy trails."

Adrian nodded, smiling. He left the stable house, going to go retrieve Nighteye. She had been corralled onto the stable when Hans had gone into Hob's house. She nickered softly, accepting the apple he held out to her. He mounted, walking her out to the main road. Glancing at the signs, he turned towards Arendelle. Whipping the reigns, he flew down the mountain, feelings of elation mixing with his fear at what he would encounter. 

-x-

Elsa and Adrian walked down the hall towards the castle conference room. Elsa was feeling apprehensive at meeting with her heads of state, so she insisted on bringing Adrian.

Elsa knew she was still maddeningly in love with Adrian. He had been at her side during all the stressful events that she had endured in the past month. He had turned down his father's throne to be with her. He had left his family to be with her. He had left his kingdom to be with her. She knew he did not wish to return to Orethell, but she still felt guilty. She couldn't think of anything substantial she had provided him in return for his sacrifices for her. She didn't deserve him, and yet, he loved her as fiercely as she did him. The past few nights, they had been staying up late, just enjoying each other's company. Their kisses had been growing hungrier, each wanting more, but it was Adrian who always stopped it from going to far. Seeing the sheer amount of love sparking between them, Captain Arturian and Raalst had agreed to not be present in a room if Adrian was with the queen. He could handle a sword well enough anyway, at least that was Captain Arturian's excuse. The captain felt extremely awkward the first few times he accompanied Elsa and Adrian, and so it had been his idea to let them be. Raalst was indifferent. Anna thought that he didn't have emotions at all, but he respected the queen's privacy. Though Arturian and Raalst were never in the room with Elsa and Adrian anymore, they were still within earshot. Elsa had been overjoyed at the new arrangement. She already didn't have enough hours in the day to accomplish all her queenly duties, and she didn't want to shut Adrian out, or anyone for that matter. But now she could spend whatever time allowed to be with him and/or her sister. The whole family, as Anna liked to call herself, Kristoff, Elsa, Adrian, and Olaf, were getting closer and closer each day. Anna was still busy with party plans, which would occur at the end of the week. Elsa had already seen to having the whole town notified.

Elsa entered the conference room, where her 21 heads of state rose to bow. She acknowledged them before taking her seat at the head of the table, Adrian at her right, and the Prime Minister at her left. Once the formalities were completed, the discussions began. Elsa sat, bored, as her administrators argued about the current events. She had grown accustomed to these monthly meetings, and readily answered any questions or cleared up any issues as they arose. The administrators discussed Arendelle's trade positions, current leadership, current town hardships, the state of the ice in the fjords, and manufacturing dilemmas. Elsa became more animated when the issue of Lodenburgh came around. However, the administrators still agreed that they should wait for the ice to thaw before they set out, so it was a short conference. At the end of the debating, Elsa rose with her administrators, thanking them for their work the past month, before taking her leave. She motioned to Adrian to join her in the kitchen. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon, so the kitchen staff weren't busy preparing dinner yet. Adrian walked into the kitchen behind her.

"What are you getting into in here?" he asked, puzzled.

"I just needed some refreshment. Would you care for some hot chocolate?" she asked, holding up the milk jug.

"That sounds amazing," Adrian replied. "I never knew you could cook."

Elsa laughed. "I can, actually. And my food is edible. I just never have the time to do it anymore. I used to help my mother in the kitchen whenever she insisted on helping the staff cook. Everything I know is from her." She poured the milk into a pan, lit the range, and set the milk on it to boil. "Would you care to help me with the chocolate?" she asked, taking out a block of milk chocolate and a knife.

"Sure. I just haven't cooked anything before. I don't even think I've stepped foot in a kitchen for years."

Elsa laughed again. Adrian just loved her laugh, so full of love and not fake or shallow. "Well it's high time you learned." She gave him the knife, guiding his hands to show the proper way for cutting the block. "Yes, that's it! That's perfect," she congratulated.

"I did horrible," said Adrian, scowling at his uneven chunks.

"Well that's kind of the point of it, to cut the chocolate small enough to melt it," Elsa explained. She added the chocolate to the hot milk, stirring until it attained the desired consistency. She fetched 2 mugs and a ladle from the drawers, and filled each one up from the pan. Adrian went to take a sip when Elsa stopped him.

"No, not yet, silly. It's too hot to drink right now." She took his cup and placed it on her palm, her own mug on her other hand. Tiny ice crystals appeared at the bottom, melting almost instantly from the heat of the mugs. After a few seconds, Elsa handed Adrian his mug back. He tasted it.

"Wow, this is amazing!" he exclaimed. It wasn't too bitter or too sweet, and was the perfect temperature. Still hot enough to be called hot chocolate, but not the 'burn your mouth' hot. Elsa blushed, pleased at his compliment.

"C'mon, let's go to the garden." Pulling on his tunic, she led the way towards the front gates. Her personal guard took up their usual places behind her, but she had grown accustomed to them, barely noticing they were there. They reached the front gates, which were opened for visiting hours. They were about to turn right towards the garden entrance, when a black horse galloped onto the castle bridge. Its rider was hooded, in darkened hunting wear. The horse and rider were racing up the bridge, coming straight towards Elsa and Adrian. While Elsa attempted to discern who it was, and how he or she had gotten past the border guards, one of her personal guards responded to him as a threat, seeing the sword and bow strapped to the horse. Just as the horse and rider were slowing down, reaching the end of the bridge, the guard raised his crossbow to his shoulder, sighting in.****

If any of you can guess what book the name "Nighteye" is from, you win 27 internet points :)


	16. Chapter 16: Reuniting and Theft

**Kind of a short chapter, ok a **_**really**_** short chapter, but this story is nearing its end. I have started a second idea along with this one, and should have it up along with the last bit of this one very soon. Remember to comment, favorite, and follow!  
**  
The guard fired, just as the rider and horse had come to a stop a fair distance from Elsa. The rider dropped to the ground, the crossbow bolt whizzing past his shoulder and into the wall behind him. The rider stood slowly, his hands raised above his head to show he wasn't armed. He pulled his hood off, revealing his face.

Elsa started, dropping her mug of hot chocolate. "Hans, is that you? Guards, lower your weapons, now!" she shouted, waving her hand at the soldiers. They lowered their weapons, but did not sheathe them. The guard who shot at Hans proceeded to reload his crossbow. They knew who Hans was, and didn't take kindly to seeing him in Arendelle again. Elsa turned back to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you left."

Hans slowly put his hands down as Elsa dismissed the guards. He had a look of guilt evident across his features. "Truthfully, I came back to apologize to you and Anna. To show that what I did last summer wasn't who I truly was." He looked down at his feet. "Really, I returned so you could enact whatever vengeance you see fit to me. I would rather die with honor than live with conviction."

Elsa stared at him, finding it hard to believe that what he was saying was truthful. She remembered that he did save her and Anna in Lodenburgh, while freeing himself as well. He must have been on the run from Arendelle, Weselton, and Lodenburgh the past few weeks. She looked up at him.

"If what you say is true, then you are honorable to return. However, the crimes you have committed against Arendelle and her people equal the fate that you should be sentenced to hang by the neck until dead." Elsa hated saying the words, but knew it was the law. Arendelle had only executed 3 prisoners in its entire history, and Elsa didn't want to be the ruler who would extend that list. She looked at Hans, seeing the guilt etched into his face.

"If that is what you declare," he said hollowly. "I will go and..."

"I said should," interrupted Elsa, holding up a hand. "What you did two weeks ago was a feat that I could not thank you enough for. You saved me and my sister from almost certain doom, and conspired against your employers by assisting the Arendellian navy. Our escape wouldn't have been accomplished without your bravery and loyalty to Arendelle."

Hans raised his head, looking hopeful.

"So if you truly mean to apologize, then I accept your apology and grant you my forgiveness. I hereby renounce the crimes you have committed against Arendelle, and sentence you to 1 day in prison for running away," she announced, smirking at his look of disbelief. He nodded, allowing the guards to lead him away, yet he was smiling good-naturedly. The black horse he had been riding whinnied, going to follow him. Hans turned to stop the horse, patting her.

"Could you make sure my horse is cared for? She's pretty much the only friend I've got."

Elsa nodded, signaling a guard to take the horse to the stables. He complied, taking Nighteye's reigns, and leading her away. Satisfied, Hans let the guards manacle him, before heading off towards the dungeons.

Elsa sighed. She felt like she had done the right thing. Anna would hate the decision, of course, after what Hans did to her, but maybe she could be cheered up at the Christmas party. Adrian came up behind Elsa, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"That was very honorable. I cannot believe how kind you can be sometimes."

She smiled, leaning into his touch. "I just want this whole fiasco to be over with," she sighed. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Whenever you feel like it's too much, just remember who we're fighting for."

She touched her pendant, remembering her new philosophy. She had to make it, to be strong for her loved ones.

Just then, Kristoff came running up to them, a smile on his face.

"Hey guys, I hoped to find you two!" he exclaimed, slightly out of breath. "Alright, my team and I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?"

Elsa looked at him strangely, before shrugging. "Bad, I guess."

"Well, we had to abandon the ice picking, so we stopped the creation of a channel." He was still smiling widely.

"And the good news is?" asked Elsa, peeved that they were making Diana and George stay even longer from home.

"The ice, it's melting!" exclaimed Kristoff. "The ice in the channel, bay, and fjords is breaking up and melting. We are guessing it should be traversable in two days."

"Finally, some good news!" Elsa exclaimed. She turned to Captain Arturian. "Please inform General Andworthy and Prime Minister Frederick of the melting."

The captain bowed, saluted, and trotted off back into the castle. Kristoff turned, running back to the bay. Elsa turned to Adrian.

"I guess we couldn't have our time in the garden after all," she said, looking at the remains of her hot chocolate on the ground. Adrian had set his down when Hans arrived, and he picked it back up, finding it to be quite cold. He took a sip. "Still better than anything I've had before."

Elsa blushed, pleased at his compliment. He shivered, as a wind blew in from the bay. "Maybe we could go back inside?" he suggested. Elsa hadn't noticed the temperature going down, as her powers made her unfeeling of the cold. "Of course. We can go start up a fire in one of our rooms," she replied. "And you can help me with party plans."

"Anything to get out of this cold," said Adrian.

The assassin moved quickly under the cover of dusk, making his way to the side of the castle. It hadn't been easy, but he was able to make it past the border and castle guards without being noticed. It had taken a good 20 minutes to go the 50 feet from the road to the side of the castle, but he had learned to be patient during a job. He looked up the side of the tower, recalling the information on the letter he had received from Weselton. Third window to the right, second story, he thought. He jumped, his feet catching the sill of the window at the ground level. He pulled himself atop of it, reaching for the second story window. Unable to get a good grip, he pulled a large hook from the pack on his back, inserting it into the leather strap on his wrist. Utilizing the hook as an extension of his arm, he reached for the window again, inserting the hook into a crevice. He hoisted himself up, positioning himself in front of the window. He gently pushed on it, surprised to find it unlocked. Silently, he entered, closing the window behind him, and turned to regard the Arendelle main library. He was above the dusty bookshelves, so he used them to walk around the room, above the floor. The room was dark, but he had good night vision, and there was some moonlight coming in from the top windows. He remembered the next part of the letter-row 11, 3rd shelf up, middle book case, red stained leather cover, titled "Arendelle Prophecies." He followed the directions, eventually pulling an old book from the shelf. It didn't look like anything spectacular, but the assassin opened it, checking the inside cover for the item that would confirm if it was the right book. And find it he did. Inside the cover was a map, with only two locations on it-The Kingdom of Arendelle, and The Valley of the Living Rock. Smiling, the assassin closed the book, slipping it into his pack. The man with the power over ice would be pleased, hopefully pleased enough to let off the fact that the assassin had yet to kill the queen. The assassin chuckled slightly. He had a plan for the queen, and it was going to be spectacular. 


	17. Chapter 17: Fun in the Snow

The man in the black and red robes looked down on the assassin, who was kneeling on the floor before him, presenting the book. The assassin was flanked by three men in all black robes, their faces hooded and covered.

"You have done well," spoke the man, his voice deep and raspy, as if he were sick. "You have proven yourself capable to me and our mutual friend, but you have not completed your original assignment."

The man snatched the book out of the assassin's hands, tucking it away within the folds of his robes. He then backhanded the assassin across the head, causing the assassin to fall backwards onto the ground. The man nodded to the men in black. Two of them lifted the assassin up, while the third held his jaw, keeping him still. The man in the red and black robes walked over to the low fireplace in the room, plucking a searing coal from the embers, its surface red hot and glowing. The assassin looked on in fear. Nobody could hold fire, but it seems this man could do just about anything.

"You know, I have always loved fire. The way it moves, the way it is created. My people do not believe that we should study the Ancient's power over fire, as all fire does is destroy. But, I took it upon myself to unlock the secrets of fire, and they are now at my discretion."

The robed man blew on the coal, which turned his breath into a plume of fire that went straight over the assassin's head, singing his scalp. The assassin cried out in pain and terror, and the third guard in black clamped a hand over his mouth, silencing him. The robed man looked on, amused.

"Let us test your resolve, shall we?" he mockingly asked, bringing the coal up to the assassin's face. Just as it was about to touch him, a voice came from the shadows.

"No, Tarin, not yet. We need his skill set, and he can't perform when his face is burnt off."

The speaker leaned into the light from the fire, revealing a thin, handsome face. Erik.

"Yes master," said Tarin, stepping away from the assassin and extinguishing the coal. He signaled to the men in black, who released the assassin, who turned to look up at Erik.

"You have proven that you can get into Arendelle castle, unnoticed. But how good are you at what your known for, which is killing royals?" asked Erik in a low voice. "So far, you have failed twice. Once in attempting to poison the queen, and once in trying to kill her when she was unconscious. And yet you still fail both times. I am half tempted to let Tarin here have his way with you however he pleases. He is a Draek, you know, and can perform such exquisite torture by the likes of which even I haven't seen. But I am feeling generous today." He sat back in his seat, his face becoming enshrouded by shadows. "I will give you one more chance, assassin. My sources tell me that the queen is having a grand party tomorrow night, and will set off for Lodenburgh the day after. You have only this small window of opportunity to finish her, unless all our plans will fail. Do you understand?"

The assassin nodded, swallowing hard.

"Good! Now go to your ship, and prepare for the party of your life!" 

-x-

Erik exited the dark room after Tarin and his goons led the assassin out. He didn't know how, but that Draek had some pretty loyal followers. He entered the conference room, where the Duke of Weselton and Sezerath sat. On his entrance, Weselton spoke up.

"Sire, how did my man perform? I'm sure he accomplished..."

"Weselton, shut up. Your man has only been able to recover the book, which is useless with the queen alive. Tarin specifically said that the original host of the powers must be dead before I can imbue them. So locating the Valley of the Sacred Stone or whatever is unnecessary until Elsa is dead." Erik turned to the Duke of Sezerath. "Garth, ready the troops and have them loaded onto the ships. We need to be ready to sail to Arendelle or Lodenburgh immediately. Which one is determined by whether or not Weselton's slug will actually succeed. 

-x-

Elsa awoke from a nightmare. She had dreamed that Weselton had trapped her in her own dungeon and was tauntingly waving the keys in front of her face, as she watched her family and friends get locked up around her. She lay in bed, shaking, repeating her philosophy in her head. _Be strong for your loved ones. Be strong for your loved ones. Be strong for your loved ones._ She clutched at her pendant, slowing calming herself down. She glanced around her room, finding it to be frozen again. She didn't know why, but ever since she learned to control and dissipate her powers, they got more out of control when she was unconscious. She quickly waved her hand, dispersing the ice, before getting out of bed and going to her window. She looked out upon the town, watching the sun rise on the horizon. She smiled in spite of herself, as today was going to be a very big day.

The Christmas party was scheduled to begin at 7pm. Elsa had had the date and time planned for a week now, but with the news that the fjords were no longer frozen, General Andworthy wanted to begin the conquest against Lodenburgh immediately. Elsa had dissuaded him and the Prime Minister, wishing to have at least a small celebration. They agreed, grudgingly, and had spent the entirety of the previous day readying themselves. The General assembled the Arendelle army and navy, which consisted of 500 foot soldiers, 200 crossbow men, 150 riflemen, and the 100 elite palace guards. Elsa hadn't even known Arendelle had such a large military. They were being armed and prepped for any possible combat situation. The General had also prepared the Arendellian fleet for war. Arendelle had an even dozen ships at her disposal. They did have 15, but three had been sunk by the Lodenburgh Skirmishers, and their replacements were still in the shipyards. Elsa had been surprised and then fearful when George had volunteered the Santana to accompany the fleet. She, and Adrian, didn't want poor George or Diana anywhere near the conflict, but they insisted. Eventually, Elsa and Adrian gave in, as they were also against the General and the Prime Minister. With the Orethellian crew and guard, their force gained another 25 foot soldiers and 10 crossbow men, along with a 50 gun warship. Altogether, Elsa had nearly 1,000 men at her disposal. She had not wanted to be a part of the invasion at all, but Raalst had told her that should Erik gain her powers, she was the only one who could stop him. She eventually agreed, and a squad of elite guards was assigned to her ship. Not that she wasn't used to that yet anyway.

Elsa looked out across the bay, seeing the Arendellian fleet being prepared, with several already stationed out on the open water. She noticed that the Santana was already out in the bay, as was the Arendellian flagship Truest Blue. Elsa had convinced Andworthy and Frederick to join her at the party, and they grudgingly agreed. She was still staring out the window when a knock sounded on her door.

"Who is it?" Elsa asked quickly, reaching for the robe on her bed to cover up her rather promiscuous looking nightgown. She didn't even know why she was wearing it, it just happened to be the first thing she found last night.

"It's me, Anna," came a voice. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. She seriously didn't want to deal with any administrators right now, or any servants with party plans.

"Come in."

Anna entered, looking beautiful in a light green dress. It took Elsa a moment to realize it was the same one she wore to her coronation, 6 months ago.

"What's up?" asked Elsa, as she disappeared into her closet. She was looking for something simple to wear, as she would change before the party.

"Oh nothing, just checking in," Anna replied. "I just thought, you know, if you wanted to spend the day together."

Elsa looked at her curiously.

"I mean, I haven't even seen you in weeks!" exclaimed Anna. "What with you being poisoned and the coma and now Captain scaredy-pants and Mr. Creepy blue robes following you around everywhere."

She cupped her mouth, beckoning to Elsa.

"His eyes are so creepy!" she whispered. "It's like he doesn't have pupils!"

Elsa giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. "He is pretty creepy, isn't he?" she whispered back. They both fell into a fit of giggles. Catching her breath, Anna spoke again.

"So do you wanna play today?"

Elsa nodded, happy to spend time with her sister. "Of course. I'll meet you down in the foyer in 10 minutes, ok?"

"Ok!" she agreed. "See you!"

She skipped out the door, knocking on Captain Arturian's helmet as she went. "Hiya Arty!"

Elsa giggled again at her sister's antics. She chose a dark blue dress with gold stitching to wear. It was simple and easy to get on and off. After finished dressing, she went into her bathroom, applying her favorite purple and pink eyeliner and black mascara. Satisfied, she left her room, her personal guard taking their place behind her. She made her way downstairs, where she encountered an odd and slightly amusing sight. Anna was grasping Hans' tunic, shaking him to and fro, demanding how he got into the castle.

"You little bastard, how did you get in here, huh? Bribe the guards? Or did your sleazy friends let you in?" she shouted.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled from the top of the staircase. "It's fine! He came here to apologize."

Anna and Hans looked up at her, Hans still being retrained at Anna. She glared at him. "Next time, you won't be so lucky," she growled. She released him, and before he could regain his footing, she punched him. Again. Looking pleased with herself, she walked away, going to meet Elsa.

"So, what do you want to do?" asked Elsa, bemusedly glancing at the shocked Hans.

"Well, do you wanna build a snowman?"

Elsa laughed. "Sure, why not?"

They walked out to the courtyard, where some townsfolk were meandering about. Elsa raised her hands above her head, causing a large snowfall across the courtyard. Many of the bystanders ohhed and ahhed. Anna raised her hands to the sky as well, delighting in the snow. Much of the snowfall from the week before had melted, leaving a slushy remain in its wake. Once the courtyard was filled with a thick layer along with several large drifts of snow, Elsa and Anna set to work. They proceeded to build their favorite likeness of Olaf, along with a few copies. Then, Elsa used her powers to manipulate the snow into some other likenesses. She created a horse, a reindeer, and a wolf. Then she did one of Anna, Kristoff, Adrian, and herself. Smiling from a sudden idea, she whispered it to Anna, who grinned in response. Anna ran up to Captain Arturian, getting his attention. Elsa's guards had been watching amusedly for a while, and were just on the outskirts of the courtyard. Captain Arturian was by the gate, and looked up to see what Anna wanted. While he was distracted, Elsa crafted a likeness of him in his line of sight. Anna stepped to the side to let him see it, right as Elsa chucked a snowball at the head, causing it to fall off. The Captain looked at his decapitated likeness, his mouth hanging open. Elsa and Anna collapsed to the ground laughing. The guards around the courtyard grinned in spite of themselves, seeing their commander in shock. Elsa even saw Raalst with a slight smile. Having another idea, she summoned a blob of snow above the gaping captain, holding it aloft and floating. Then she dropped it. The Captain was literally buried, a hand and a foot sticking out of the drift. This only made Elsa and Anna laugh all the harder. Some guards were openly laughing as well now. The Captain's visible limbs slumped, defeated. A servant had just then come out of the castle, looking for Elsa. He looked about the frozen courtyard, surprised, then appeared even more surprised seeing the queen and princess rolling around on the ground, laughing, then looked downright disturbed at the sight of Captain Arturian under a snowdrift. He cleared his throat, startling Elsa.

"Your majesty, General Andworthy wishes to see you. He is in the briefing room," he said, before turning and heading back inside.

"Sorry Anna, looks like I have to go. But it was fun, really fun."

"It's alright Elsa. We've been out here for a while. I enjoyed it too," she replied.

Elsa smiled, waving her hands to dissipate the snow. She left the courtyard, heading inside after the servant. She started heading to the briefing room, wondering how Adrian was doing. He was personally overseeing the loading of the troops onto the ships on the docks, so she hadn't seen him yet. She reached the briefing room, seeing General Andworthy pacing about it. When he noticed it, he came over, a large smile on his face.

"Your majesty, I am pleased to report our preparations have been completed. We will be ready to sail at first light."

"Thank you, General. Your efforts are greatly appreciated."

He bowed, exiting behind her. Wondering what time it was, she glanced at the grandfather clock in the room. It read 4:30. She realized she and Anna had been playing out in the snow for 7 hours straight. Time truly flies when you're having fun, she mused.

"What are you so happy about, Ice Queen?" came a voice behind her.

She turned, seeing Adrian standing on the threshold. He looked tired, and damp, but she hugged him anyway. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why are you all wet?" she asked.

"Fell in the fjords again," he said sheepishly. He took her hand. "C'mon, we've got a party to get ready for."


	18. Chapter 18: Christmas Party

**A party, Elsa's bath and makeup routine, some future story hints, and a cliffhanger. You're welcome.  
**  
Elsa followed Adrian upstairs, where they split off to go to their respective rooms to change. Adrian gave Elsa a light kiss before heading into his own room.

"I'll see you at 6:45," he said, before leaving her.

Elsa continued on, towards the royal bedroom, a mix of emotions warring inside her. She was worried and nervous for the coming party along with the conquest to Lodenburgh. She was also completely ecstatic that this whole fiasco would soon be over, hopefully. She was also still in a happy daze from the morning with her sister. Upon entering her room, she made her way into the bathroom, stripping off her snow-damp clothes and tossing them into a corner. She stared at herself in the mirror, trying to get her emotions straightened out. As she was, an icy rime began building up around the mirror. She gasped, making it worse. Before it could shatter the mirror, she quickly got a hold of her feelings enough to dissipate the ice. She was so tense, and couldn't possibly think straight. Pulling on a robe, she exited her room, passing Captain Arturian who was scraping snow out of his hat, to find a busy Kai, who was hurrying about the second story tables, dusting and straightening.

"Hello, Kai."

Kai jumped, nearly hitting the ceiling, turning around to see who had addressed her. Upon seeing the queen, she jumped again, and proceeded to clutch at her heart.

"Oh my! Your majesty, you scared me!" she exclaimed with a quick bow. She attempted to get a hold of herself. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

"If you could send up somebody to prepare a bath, that would be wonderful," said Elsa. "I'm feeling a little tense and could use some relaxation time."

"Oh, of course your majesty! Right away!" she said, running off down the hall towards the servant's quarters. Elsa watched her go, a bemused expression on her face. She loved the woman, but she could get quite eccentric at times. Elsa sighed, heading back to her room. Within minutes, several servants arrived with hot water, fresh towels, soaps, and Elsa's favorite bath salts. They proceeded to fill the tub, and leave the towels, soaps, and salts by the side. One stopped on their way out to address the queen.

"Is there anything else you require, your majesty?" she asked.

"No, thank you. This is plenty," Elsa replied. The girl curtsied before leaving the room. Elsa entered the bathroom, pulling off her robe and hanging it on the door, which she closed. She could hear either Captain Arturian or Raalst enter the room, probably the captain due to the sound of metal armor, and she didn't want to make it embarrassing for herself or him to leave the door open while she bathed. She just attempted to create a mindset that he wasn't there. She had to hand it to Arturian and his men, they could very well go unnoticed if they wanted to.

Elsa stuck her hand in the water, testing the temperature. Finding it a bit too hot, she created a few small ice cubes, which she dropped into the tub. She stirred the water around, finding it just right. She grabbed the bottle of bath salts, pouring out a handful and stirring them into the tub too. The smell of lavender and honey soon permeated the room, putting a sense of ease to Elsa's racked nerves. Finally, she lowered herself into the water, relishing in how it relaxed her tense muscles. After a few minutes of soaking, Elsa reached over to grab the bars of soap. She only used soap for her hair, as her body never exactly got "dirty". Her hair didn't need the soap either, she just liked the way the soaped smelled. She reached up and undid her braid, setting the ties on the floor. She fluffed it out before dunking her head under the water. Then she lathered the bar of soap using the bath water, and massaged it into her scalp. She let it sit for a few seconds before using a pitcher beside the tub to rinse her head. Finished, she sat back in the water, and thought about dozing off. She knew she shouldn't sleep in the tub when water was in it, but she was just so comfortable and relaxed. Closing her eyes, she sighed as the world blacked out.

Elsa started awake as a knock sounded on the bathroom door. Annoyed, Elsa sat up, finding the water to be only relatively warm.

"Yes, who is it?"

"Captain Arturian, your majesty. I would like to know if you are alright."

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Just a little tired is all."

"Very good, your majesty. I would also wish to inform you that it is 6:15, and the party starts in 45 minutes."

Elsa sat bolt upright, water splashing around her. How could she be so stupid? She pulled herself out of the tub, pulling the drainage plug, and quickly toweled herself dry. She pulled on a fresh robe, rushing into her bedroom. Captain Arturian looked surprised at her sudden appearance, and left as he realized she wanted to change. Elsa ran into her closet, rapidly scanning the racks for something to wear. Unable to find any of her favorite formal dresses, she improvised instead. She discarded her robe and located some undergarments. Then she let her powers go, surrounding her and clothing her with a light blue dancing dress, embroidered with snowflakes, with a medium long silk train. She realized the dress was off the shoulder, but that didn't bother her too much. The dress also had a slit up the side of her left leg, which was supposed to make dancing easier. Why had she thought of a dancing dress? This was ridiculous. But she didn't have time to make amends. She rushed back into the bathroom, locating her comb and swiftly ran it through her still slightly damp hair. She then grabbed her hair ties and quickly re-braided her hair, fixing it with the little blue snowflake ties that she had created herself. Using her fingers, she fixed and styled her bangs. She then grabbed her makeup bag, and reapplied her eyeliner and mascara, using a little bit more purple than usual. To finish her look, she added a little bit of blush to her cheeks and then some dark red lipstick, with a light blue nail polish applied to her fingertips. Satisfied with her handiwork, she rushed back into her room, plucking her royal tiara from its stand and her snowflake pendant from the bed, quickly placing each on. She was glad the tiara was silver, as it matched the necklace, and the blue gem matched her dress. Nobody said a queen couldn't be stylish. Just as she was finishing up adjusting her accessories, another knock sounded on the door.

"Elsa, are you ready?" came Adrian's voice.

"Yes, yes I am. Please, come in."

Adrian entered, and stood stock still, his mouth hanging open. Elsa cringed, seeing the look of bewilderment on his face. She panicked for a moment. Did her makeup smudge? Did she mess something up? Was her dress making her look fat?

"Do I really look that hideous?"

"Uh, duhh no. No no no, erm it's just that you, y-you look..."

Adrian was seriously lost for words. He had never seen Elsa look this good before, not even when he first met her, not when he stayed behind in Arendelle, not even on Anna's wedding day. He was literally smacked in the face by true beauty. What did he possibly do to deserve this magnificent creature before him? He looked into Elsa's sapphire eyes, trying to get his brain to work.

"You are the most exquisite looking thing I have ever seen," he got out. He seriously hoped he wouldn't collapse or anything, but at the moment, it wouldn't surprise him. Elsa smiled, beaming at his compliment. It only made her look more beautiful.

"You are so much more beautifuller...wait, that's not a word. Darn't, I've been spending too much time with Anna, and her crazy quirks, and now I'm making up words, and mimicking her, and now I..."

He was silenced as Elsa's lips touched his. He leaned into the kiss, close enough that he could smell her. Lavender and honey...

They broke apart, both grinning from ear to ear. Elsa stepped back to admire Adrian.

"You don't look to bad yourself," she giggled.

Adrian had on a custom tailored midnight blue suit, with coat tails and a white tie. He had combed his hair so that it sleeked to the right, and wore knee high black boots. He had his Arendelle crest pendant on as well, which went well with his sliver cuff links. Elsa couldn't remember a time where Adrian looked this handsome before. Well he always looked handsome, but this was different.

"Yeah, it is a nice suit," he replied. He held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

They walked arm in arm downstairs to the ballroom, where the party was supposed to be. Just as they reached the bottom of the steps, Elsa noticed how different the castle looked. The servants had really outdone themselves with decorations, putting up Christmas decorations, trees, and Arendellian memorabilia everywhere. Most of the town knew about Lodenburgh by now, and wanted revenge just as much as the royals did. The party had turned from being a Christmas party to being a pre-war party.

Just as the two got to the ballroom doors, the castle chimes rang, followed by seven bell tones. Bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong. As the seventh bell tone dissipated, the crowd that could be heard inside quieted. Elsa and Adrian hurried over to the royal entrance, where they met up with Anna and Kristoff, both looking dashing in their formal attire. They waved, and waited for the court announcer's introductions. A moment later, his voice rang through the door.

"May I present, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Princess Anna of Arendelle, Sir Kristoff Bjorgman of Arendelle, and Adrian Christenson of Orethell!"

Each royal filed out as their name was called. Adrian winced as the announcer said he was of Orethell, but he pushed the issue aside. He would not let his feelings ruin tonight for himself or Elsa. The crowd applauded and cheered. Elsa took her throne seat in the middle of the long head table, with Anna and Kristoff at her right, and Adrian at her left. Then the court announcer spoke again.

"May I present our most esteemed guests to the royal family: Princess Diana of Orethell, Sir George Augustus of Orethell, and Sir Hans Westfield of The Southern Isles."

Everybody turned as Hans was mentioned and he filed out to take his seat at the very right side of the table. Many onlookers whispered to one another, and one brave one shouted "Boo!"

Elsa looked presently surprised that he would be announced as a royal, while Anna looked at him with utter loathing. He quietly took his seat next to Diana, not really looking anywhere in particular, and started playing with his fork. Yet again, the court announcer spoke.

"And finally, may I present General Marcus Andworthy and Prime Minister Frederick Santaglio."

The last two additions bowed to the queen as they entered, before taking their seats at the very left of the table. The court announcer retired to behind the table as the crowd found their dinner seats, looking at the queen expectantly. Elsa realized they expected a speech. She rose from her seat, her regality and grace automatically taking over.

"People of Arendelle, friends and family, I wish to welcome you to the annual Christmas feast."

The crowd clapped politely.

"I know that this event was delayed and is extremely late, but I was urged to celebrate it anyway by a certain disappointed Princess," stated Elsa, glancing over at Anna. This got a smattering of laughter from the crowd.

"I'm sure almost all of you know by now why this event was delayed. For those of you who don't, I wish to inform you. In the past several weeks, there have been several attempts on my life."

This got a few gasps, which surprised Elsa. She had expected the whole town, and most of the country to know by now.

"I was captured by the nation of Lodenburgh, poisoned by an assassin, and almost stabbed while in a drug induced coma."

The room became deathly silent.

"I was in a state of weakness and vulnerability, and let this great kingdom and my fathers down when I allowed it to be attacked by an enemy force."

Many people were nodding. Almost everybody had helped in the rebuilding of Arendelle after the attack by Lodenburgh.

"But I will not allow this to happen again. The good General here has prepared the military forces of Arendelle to be ready to mount an offensive against Lodenburgh tomorrow, in which I will be a part of, to serve justice to those who have wronged us."

More gasps.

"I intend to bring the terrorist known as The Storm to justice, and to ensure the safety of my kingdom." Elsa's voice grew softer. "I would like to honor and thank those who have helped me and Arendelle through this tough time." She gestured to the General, and proceeded down the line. "General Andworthy, for providing his military insight in this dark time. Prime Minister Frederick, for his political and clearheaded contributions. Adrian Christenson, for his part in mine and my sister's rescue from Lodenburgh, and for his support and guidance." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. The crowd obviously knew about them, and the whole town loved Adrian anyway. Elsa continued on. "Anna, a never ending well of love and support in my darkest times. Kristoff Bjorgman, for his efforts in the fjords and the mountains, providing Arendelle with ice when I am not available." More Laughter. "And for making my sister happy. George Augustus for providing his crew and ship for our cause, along with being here to help support Adrian. Princess Diana, for delivering a painful yet important message to me and Adrian." Most of the town was aware about the incident in Orethell, but the finer details were fuzzy. Elsa finally got to Hans, which the crowd seemed most interested in. "And Hans Westfield, for his unbridled contribution to my sister's and my own recue from Lodenburgh. He was the insurgent that risked his life to save mine and Anna's, and I am forever indebted to him for that. Therefore, I hereby absolve Hans of his crimes against Arendelle and her people. He has personally confided in me his actions and has put forth a formal apology. He also consented to the consequence of his actions, being death. However, I have neglected the use of this punishment on him, and served him justice by other means. Hans Westfield is now a formal citizen of Arendelle, and should be treated as such." Elsa turned to speak to Hans directly. "But if he should meddle in the affairs of the royal family again, the punishment will be death." He nodded his understanding. Elsa turned back to the crowd, who were completely silent. But Elsa smiled, lightening the mood. "I want to wish everybody a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and may Arendelle prosper under the eyes of her fathers." Elsa raised her hands above her head, creating a twirling snowflake on the ceiling. "Let's get this party started!"

The crowd cheered and applauded, moved by her speech. Elsa sat back down heavily, and took Adrian's hand in hers.

"You did great!" he congratulated her.

"Thanks. Now I just want to eat. I'm absolutely famished."

Her wish was granted as servants poured out of the side doors, carrying heaping plates of food. The dinner consisted of roast turkey, roast duck, whole suckling pig, mashed and roasted potatoes, bread pudding, casseroles, green beans, peas, gravies, and pre-sliced loaves of hard crusted artisan bread. Elsa filled her plate and ate to her heart's content. The kitchens had seriously outdone themselves, as the food was spectacular. After a few minutes, she joined in the casual banter going on around the table. She noticed that Hans and Diana were deep in conversation, and both seemed to be enjoying themselves. Once dinner was finished, the servants set up tables along either side of the room, and filled them with plates and platters of cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, ice cream, burnt cream, fresh fruits with chocolate fondue, and candies. Elsa and Anna rushed down to the tables to fill their plates with anything chocolate, which turned out to be most of the dishes. The returned to their seats, laughing, and stuffing themselves with sweets. Once the desserts had been put out, the Arendelle orchestra was setting itself up on the stage on the opposite side of the ballroom, where a dancing area had been cleared. Kai gave them the go ahead to start playing back ground music. When people saw the orchestra was playing, they wandered over to the dance floor. But nobody seemed to want to be the first to dance. Elsa pulled on Adrian's sleeve to take his attention away from his lemon meringue pie.

"What? I can't finish my pie?" he asked.

"Finish later, we have to go dance!" exclaimed Elsa, pulling on his arm all the harder.

"Oh, all right," he said, letting her drag him along.

They made their way to the dance floor just as the orchestra finished the first song. There was a smattering of light clapping before they started in on the next, which was Elsa's parent's favorite, which had become hers and Adrian's favorite as well. It seemed as if the orchestra started to play that song just because they'd seen Elsa and Adrian. Within only the first 5 notes of the song, Adrian had pulled Elsa out onto the floor, twirling her before positioning himself in the proper waltz form. They danced and danced, having a grand time, as people moved to join them. Elsa saw Anna and Kristoff dance past on the 4th song, as they were both dancing an extremely lively two step, so were able to keep a fair space bubble around them, as people were afraid they would get trampled by the two frantic dancers. Elsa also saw Hans dancing happily with Diana. She thought it was cute how they were getting along. She made a mental note to herself that if Hans tried to do the same thing to Diana that he did to Anna, she would freeze him before he could say Southern Isles, if Adrian didn't get to him first.

The party was still going strong into the later hours of the evening when a man appeared at the ballroom entrance. He was dressed in red and black robes, and his face and head were covered in black cloth, though his hands were not. She was about to tell Adrian about him when his stance changed. His hands moved together, palms outstretched, as a light grew in front of them. Elsa was about to call for a guard when a huge gout of fire erupted from the man's hands, going straight for her face.


	19. Chapter 19: Arendelle Goes to War

Elsa instinctively raised her hands over head, turning away from the flames, when an ice wall sprung up before her, shielding her and Adrian from the blast. However, the ice soon started melting under the intense heat. Panicking, Elsa tried to create another ice wall, but her powers wouldn't cooperate, instead sending an ice flurry into the ceiling. Then, she heard shouting.

"Your majesty, go, now!" shouted Raalst, jumping in front of her and in the path of the robed attacker. The attacker laughed.

"Dear Raalst, long time no see! How is my wayward brother faring?"

"Better than you, Tarin, are going to be in a few seconds," Raalst retaliated. He whipped his hands around his head in a flurry of motion, bringing them down to face Tarin. Tarin's smug grin was wiped off of his face as he was literally lifted up by a blast of air, causing him to crash into the wall twenty feet above the ground. Instead of falling, however, he remained where he was, being held up by gusts of air.

"Ha! Still using wind, Raalst? I've learned to branch out a bit, brother!"

Tarin directed his hands to the floor, while still being suspended in the air. The ground started rumbling, as if there was an earthquake. All of a sudden, huge pillars of rock shot out from the floor, one striking Raalst in the back. He collapsed, causing Tarin to fall as well. Elsa ran to Raalst, trying to help him up, as Tarin attempted to pull himself up. Seeing Elsa, Tarin smiled again.

"The fair queen finally graces my sight!" he exclaimed. He started walking over to her, his hands outstretched. "Are you ready to die?"

"Not yet, she isn't!" screeched a voice. Elsa looked over to see her sister strike Tarin across the head with a rather large dessert platter. He crumpled to the ground, holding his head. Anna continued to beat him over the head with her cumbersome weapon.

"Don't. Hurt. My. Sister!" she shouted, whacking him after every word. Tarin reached over and grabbed Anna's foot, causing it to freeze to the floor. Anna screamed, tugging at her own leg in an attempt to free it. This time, it was Elsa who became angry. Growling, she swiftly walked up to Tarin, and unleashed her fury on him. A huge blast of ice erupted from her palms, freezing him in a solid block of ice. Panting, she glanced over at her sister.

"Anna!" she shouted, running over to her. She attempted to use her powers to melt the ice, but she was too out of control. Her personal guard came up behind her, attempting to escort her out of the ballroom. They ended up having to forcibly pull her away from Anna. Elsa was seriously thinking about freezing them to help her sister when Kristoff came up to his wife, an ice pick in hand, and started hacking at her frozen foot. The ice gave way, freeing Anna from the ground. Elsa relaxed slightly, seeing her sister was alright. Just then, a cracking noise echoed around the room. Elsa turned towards the sound, seeing the ice around Tarin splitting and melting, his hands glowing red with fire. In a blast of fire and ice, he escaped his frozen prison. Trying to get his bearings, he stumbled, and that was all the time Raalst needed. He summoned a tornado in the ballroom itself, which lifted Tarin up and threw him out a window. Elsa saw him fall, then stumble away towards the North Mountain. Elsa didn't give any orders to pursue, and the guards held their ground. Once Elsa was able to free herself from her overly-protective guard, she bounded over to Adrian, who caught her and held her in his arms.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Ouch!"

Elsa looked down, seeing an angry red burn mark on his side. He must have been hit by Tarin's fire when Elsa's powers attempted to block it. Elsa was about to call for the doctor when General Andworthy ran up to her, quickly followed by Prime Minister Frederick. The General was the first to speak.

"Your majesty, I'm afraid this is the last straw. We sail for Lodenburgh. Now."

Erik, Weselton, and Sezerath reached the end of the forest trail, which opened up onto a stone plateau of sorts, with steam vents dotting the perimeter, and moss covered boulders littering the ground.

"Finally," said Erik, tossing the map to one of Tarin's guards. He had sent Tarin to monitor the assassin, and should the assassin fail, to step in himself. Tarin had left his personal guard for use by Erik. The black robed and hooded men stood by silently, waiting on Erik's word. Erik walked up to the middle of the rocky area, speaking to the entire valley.

"I am a wayward traveler seeking help," he stated, the lie coming easily to his lips. "I heard I could find assistance here."

All the boulders started shifting and rolling to converge on Erik. The guards tensed, reaching for hidden weapons in their cloaks, but Erik held up a hand, stopping them. One particularly large boulder rolled up in front of Erik, which opened to reveal Grand Pabbie.

"I didn't know travelers traveled with an armed guard," he said, eyeing Erik and the black robed men suspiciously. "What is it that you want?"

"Well old man, I thought you could help me activate this."

He pulled the blue vial from his coat pocket, shaking it in front of Grand Pabbie's rather large nose. The moment he did, the guards surrounded the small troll, aiming crossbows and muskets at his surprised face. He glared at Erik, not even acknowledging the threat to his life.

"I know that bottle. It is tainted by dark magic, ancient magic." He eyed it more closely. "And it is filled with, wait a moment, the essence of Queen Elsa!" he exclaimed. "You wish to kill the queen!"

"Yes, yes I do. Now you will tell me how to use this little bottle before I rid you of your head."

"I will not succumb to your tyranny," growled Grand Pabbie. "It is time for you to leave."

Instantly, the rest of the boulders popped open, revealing the entire troll community, who began to throw rocks and each other at the unwanted visitors. The guards were suddenly overcome. They instinctively shot, but they were only able to chip a couple of rocky bodies before being hit by several heavy projectiles. One unlucky guard was hit in the head by a rather large troll flying through the air. The guard crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and most likely dead. With that, Erik, Weselton, and Sezerath bolted, heading back for their ship on the coast. They could hear the guards continuing to fight the trolls, but they kept running until they reached their camp on the shore. Erik ran straight up to the ship captain.

"Have you heard back from Tarin?" he got out.

"No, sire, he has not returned. Our scout reported several instances of fire and slight earthquakes at the Arendelle castle." Just then, Tarin emerged from the trees, looking all the worse for wear.

"Sire, he gasped. I have failed."

"Make ready to sail, now!" shouted Erik, clutching a stitch in his side. The captain moved off to board the ship, followed by a defeated looking Tarin, ordering the crew to unfurl the sails. Weselton and Sezerath, also winded, turned to Erik.

"Sire, what do we do now?"

Erik looked at the vial in his hand, which he had miraculously been able to hold on to.

"Ah, to hell with it," he said, uncorking the vial and drinking it. He immediately started screaming as the contents entered his body, collapsing to the ground. Weselton and Sezerath quickly stepped back, scared. Erik's body began changing, his skin becoming paler and his hair turning white. His eyes started glowing, until they became a solid shade of ice blue, his pupils and irises gone. His body gave a final wrack before lying still.

"Sire?" said Weselton timidly. Erik stretched a hand out, pointing towards the Duke. Weselton was just starting another question when a blast of ice shot out from Erik's hand, freezing the diminutive man solid. Sezerath screamed, starting to run away until he froze as well, mid stride. Erik rose from the ground, gazing at his newly changed arms and hands. Erik's captain came up behind him, then stopped, seeing a very different Prince Erik than he had a moment ago.

"Uh, your majesty?"

Erik turned to meet the man's eyes, causing him to gasp. Erik's blue eyes met his, and the captain gulped.

"W-we are ready to set sail, sir."

"Good. Make way for Lodenburgh. We are expecting guests." 


	20. Chapter 20: Set Sail

**Action, explosions, Erik oh my!**

"Hurry your majesty! We already have the ships loaded."

The General ushered Elsa out of the castle, surrounded by a good 30 guards. Elsa knew her people liked her and all, but this was just ridiculous. The guards all had weapons drawn or loaded, and were pointing them every which way, scanning the area for threats. Her entourage reached the docks, where a ferry was waiting to take them to the Truest Blue, the Arendellian flagship. Elsa, General Andworthy, and Adrian boarded, quickly being followed by Hans, Diana, and George who boarded their own ferry to take them to the Santana. Elsa saw soldiers all around her getting in rowboats and paddling off to their respective ships. Her own ferry jolted forward, and she nearly lost her balance. She looked back towards the docks, finding a distraught looking Anna being held by Kristoff. She waved, and Elsa waved back, trying to hold back tears. Elsa had specifically told the General that Anna wasn't to be anywhere near Lodenburgh during the conflict, and he had agreed. But Elsa didn't know how the fact that she may not return was affecting Anna. Anna disappeared from sight as Elsa's ferry turned around an Arendellian warship.

As they passed the ship, Elsa saw her own flagship, Truest Blue, proudly standing in front of the fleet. Its hull was painted a dark blue, and the unfurled sails were decorated with the Arendelle crest. The ship was a 100 gun warship, built by her grandfather in the second age of Arendelle. It remained as a symbol of Arendelle's military might at the time, and Elsa had to admit, the ship still intimidated her. It had three masts, each with 3 sails, that stretched along its 200 foot length, and the bow was decorated with a mermaid in the likeness of Elsa's grandmother, when she was still young. The hull bristled with three gun rows, which had already been opened and the guns pulled out. The top deck also had a row of guns and rifle stations. The ship had the capacity to hold its sailing crew of 30, along with an additional 200 soldiers and up to 5 royals. King Draefus had seriously outdone himself when it was made. Not even Elsa's father had sailed on it for his missions, instead preferring the smaller Arendellian Courser, The Delana. Elsa's heart wrenched at the thought of that ship, as it was the one her parents had died in. Elsa's ferry came up alongside the magnificent vessel, where a ladder waited. Elsa and the ferry crew climbed aboard, and the ferry was hoisted in after them. General Andworthy walked up to a man in a blue military tailcoat suit, whom Elsa recognized as Admiral Brutus. He was an extremely smart tactician who had gained his title in the early days of Elsa's father's rule. Elsa walked up to meet with her military officials.

"Admiral, General, what is your plan of action?" she asked, trying to act queenly and ignore the shock and adrenaline still running through her from the attack. The Admiral was the first to address her.

"Your majesty, we are loaded and ready to begin our campaign against Lodenburgh. Word has already been sent to the kingdom with our declaration of war. The journey should take 2 days and one night, not including this one, and we should arrive by noon on Thursday."

Elsa nodded her understanding.

"My queen, we await your word to begin."

Elsa hesitated, glancing at the signal bearer standing by the Admiral, ready to convey her orders. She knew that Lodenburgh had to pay for the many attempts on her life, but there was no going back from this. Arendelle hadn't gone to war since King Tiberius gained his power over ice and snow. And Elsa would be the ruler to end the peace streak. She closed her eyes, attempting to hold in her emotions. Without a word, she nodded her head at the signal bearer. Seeing her give the go-ahead, he raised his signal flag above his head, waving it at the other ships. Almost simultaneously, the entire fleet lifted anchor and began drifting forward with the light breeze. The Admiral began giving orders.

"Unfurl sails! All hands on deck! Come down with the main brace! Guns out, loaded, and ready, rifle crews, load! Crossbow crews, load! Make ready to sail, men! Arendelle is going to war!"

The men on deck cheered and shouted, quickly doing what they were ordered. The General came up behind Elsa, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Come, your majesty. Your quarters are back here," leading her to the stern of the ship, where the cabins were. He opened the door for her before taking his leave. Elsa gazed around the room appreciatively. It was royally furnished, mainly around the color blue, and had several paintings of ships at sea on the walls. There was a writing desk, several couches and chairs, a bathroom, and a master bedroom. Elsa found Adrian snoring on one of the couches. She smiled, until she noticed the burn on his side. Rushing to his side, she glanced around for medical aid. She went into the bathroom, finding a bottle of disinfectant, some gauze, and clean rags. Perfect. She went back to Adrian's side, kissing him awake. He looked up into her face, a glazed expression on his face.

"Hey Snowflake. Funny finding you here."

Elsa smiled at his bad joke, readying her supplies.

"It would be funnier if you weren't hurt," she said, leaning down to examine his wound. The burnt flesh had cooled off, but Elsa found it was still extremely red, and slightly swollen. The good thing was that none of the flesh was burnt black or missing completely, which meant the flames had been in contact for only a short moment.

"How is it, Doctor Elsa?" he asked mockingly.

"Better than I thought it was, but still bad." Elsa took a rag and poured some disinfectant onto it. She looked up at Adrian worriedly. She hadn't found any pain killers or morphine in the bathroom. He saw the look she was giving him.

"Elsa, I'll be fine. I may be a prince, but that doesn't mean I'm not tough."

She nodded, and gingerly placed the rag against the wound.

"Gahh! Oh God, that smarts," he hissed. Elsa couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. She quickly dabbed the rag against his skin a few more times. Removing the rag, and pleased to find no blood or other bodily fluids on it, she unrolled the gauze.

"I'm going to need to get your shirt off," she muttered, still looking at the wound. Adrian gingerly sat up, peeling his tunic and dress shirt off. Glancing at the burn hole, he sighed.

"You know, I really like this shirt."

Elsa rolled her eyes, wrapping the gauze around his waist, and tying it in a tight knot at his side. He relaxed, lying back down onto the couch. Elsa smirked at him.

"Does it hurt anywhere else?" she asked playfully. He shook his head.

"No, no, the rest of me is fine."

"Well, I guess I won't have to kiss it better," she teased, making to move for the door.

"Wait! Um, I kinda fell after Tarin burned me, and it just got sore, again," he blurted out. Elsa grinned, going back to his side.

"Show me."

He pointed to his forehead, and Elsa planted a light kiss there. Seeing where this was going, he pointed at his nose. Elsa bent lower to kiss him there too. He pointed to his cheek, and he received another kiss there. Finally, he pointed to his lips, where Elsa bent to press her mouth to his. She grinned behind the kiss, glad to know she was loved. Just as their kiss started, an urgent knock sounded on the door.

"Your majesty! Your majesty! We've got trouble!" came a voice. Elsa broke her contact with Adrian, looking up at the door. But no more news came. She could hear shouting coming from the deck, and started to worry. She turned back to Adrian.

"What do you think it is?" she asked, worry evident on her voice.

"I don't know, but I think they need their queen." He kissed her again, then turned her towards the door. She quickly walked out onto the deck, when a cannonball literally sailed past right in front of her face. She stumbled back, nearly falling, and heard the distant roar of more cannon fire, along with the sharper sounds of gunsights and the twangs of crossbows. She rushed out onto the main deck, and saw two black ships in the light of the moon, firing on the fleet. She looked up at the helm, finding a very serious looking Admiral Brutus shouting orders.

"To the guns men! We have Lodenburgh visitors! Ready to fire on my word!"

Elsa turned back to the attacking ships, finding that one was attacking her ship while the other was firing at another. Elsa realized they must have ambushed the fleet when it came out of the bay. These Lodenburghians were suicidal. She ran to stand beside one of the staircases that led up to the wheel, using it as a shield against prospective bullets or crossbows, even though the ships were out of range of small fire. Just then she heard the Admiral shout another order, just as the Truest Blue ran parallel to the attacking Lodenburgh Skirmisher.

"Fire! Fire all!"

Elsa's ears were met by a deafening roar as 45 cannons went off, all on the starboard side of the ship. The force of them literally pushed the mighty ship the opposite direction. Elsa watched as the rain of cannonballs smashed into the Lodenburgh ship. The Admiral raised a hand to stall fire and reload, watching the hit ship intently. A creaking sound echoed across the water, and the Lodenburgh ship's central mast crashed down into the water. Moments after that, the ship exploded in a flash of light as its powder stores ignited. Elsa shielded her eyes as an intense fireball arced into the sky. The crew cheered, but the battle wasn't over yet. Elsa looked over at the other Skirmisher, which was still firing on the other ships. The right side of the fleet hadn't been as well prepared as the front, and was taking some heavy hits with minimal return fire. Elsa shrieked as she noticed the green and yellow ship the Skirmisher was firing upon, its current target the Santana. Sucking in a breath, she extended her hands towards the ship, sending a concentrated blast of ice straight at it. She hadn't realized what she was doing. Her powers didn't have that amount of range. But they hit their mark, instantly freezing the ship solid. Time seemed to freeze as everyone stared at Elsa, then a sucking noise sounded out across the water. The frozen Lodenburgh ship was sinking, its extra weight of ice dragging it down, until it sank out of sight, it's flaming companion the only thing left on the waves. Everyone turned away from the boat and back to Elsa. All of a sudden, not knowing why, she fainted.

Elsa awoke from her unconscious state, her head pounding. She glanced around her surroundings, realizing that she was in her cabin. She groggily got up to open the curtains by the porthole, finding morning sunlight and clear, blue skies. Feeling something odd on her body, she glanced down, finding herself in a silk nightgown. She instantly panicked, trying to figure out who could have undressed her. She pushed the matter aside, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to worry about it. She went to her closet, finding it stocked with dresses. So that's where her formal dresses had gone. She picked one out and pulled it on, before making her way onto the deck. She looked up at the helm, finding The Admiral and Adrian conversing. She made her way up to them.

"Ah, your majesty, you are awake," said the Admiral, smiling at her. We were afraid something worse might have happened to you after you, err, froze the Lodenburgh Skirmisher."

Elsa gasped, the memory coming back to her.

"Is everyone ok?" she demanded.

"Yes, yes, everyone is fine," placated the Admiral. "No one was killed when we were attacked. I have reports that we had a total of 13 injuries, however, and that the Delacrosse and Santana were damaged, but were still very much seaworthy."

Elsa sighed with relief. She wouldn't have been ankle to live with herself or either one of those ships had sunk. She looked back to the Admiral.

"Admiral, what day and time is it?"

"Your majesty, it is Thursday morning, 9:30 to be exact. We are 30 clicks out from Lodenburgh. We will arrive at the staging area in 2 hours."

Elsa gasped. She had been out for a whole day! Which meant...

"Your majesty, Arendelle is now officially at war. Our campaign against Lodenburgh begins today." 

-x-

Erik stepped off from his ship, striding up to the castle in Lodenburgh. He was pleased to see his navy and army assembled upon his arrival. Lodenburgh had 5 ships ready for battle, and 1500 soldiers. Erik inwardly cursed Arendelle. He had lost his other 5 ships to them in only a matter of a month. He had sent his last two Skirmishers to delay their fleet, but they had failed miserably, one being frozen and sinking while the other went up in flames. No matter, though. He still had his ground troops and castle fortifications, along with the force of nature that was Tarin. And his newly acquired ice powers. He had been experimenting with them on the journey back, and found that he was able to summon flurries, blizzards, ice shards, icicles, ice weapons, and make the ground slippery with ice. He smiled. Let Arendelle come. He was more than ready for them.

**Hee hee, no ending for you guys yet, but we're getting there…**


	21. Chapter 21: Battle of Lodenburgh

**Oh God, I'm crying as I write this chapter. Just, read it and quickly go to the next one. Like, fast.**

The Arendelle fleet pulled up and weighed anchor behind the hill that had hidden the Arendelle interceptor when Elsa had been rescued by Hans. The Admiral and General called for a strategy meeting once they were settled, having the other ship's captains come aboard the Truest Blue.

"Now men, this is the moment we have all been waiting for," said Admiral Brutus, addressing the captains. Elsa sat behind him, wanting to be aware of the plan. "It is time to strike our foe, the Kingdom of Lodenburgh, and their leader The Storm, to make them pay for trying to murder our queen," he stated, gesturing back at Elsa. "Now here is my plan. We will send in 3 coursers, including the Delacrosse, into the bay on the other side of this mountain, in which to draw the enemy's fire. They will be sailed by a skeleton crew each, so as to minimize losses if one should sink. I want the majority of our ground forces assembled on the top of that hill, to be ready to move against enemy ground troops. Once the three coursers have entered the bay and distracted the enemy, I want the ground forces 1 through 3 marching down the mountain, shield men in front, flanking the ranged men, with sword men dispersed throughout the ranks. Ranged men will shoot until the enemy is within 50 yards, then retreat to high ground and have the swordsman move forward. Once the ranged men have moved back, I want 5 warships, The Dauntless, The Grainger, The Fryzer, The Highland, and The Truest Blue to sail around the mouth of the bay, and block off the exit. Once the coursers have moved into the cove on the other side of the bay, I want the warships to open fire with all starboard cannons, aiming at the shore and any remaining enemy ships. Once the ships are down, the ground troops will move into the main town, and make their way to the castle. Our reserves are the last two warships, 2 interceptors, and the Santana, which will follow after the beach is cleared. When the castle is breached, I want the team of 100 elites to take point, and find Erik. He is our main objective. Are their any questions?"

The captains looked at each other for a moment, then back at the Admiral.

"Ok then. Men, may God bless you and the great kingdom of Arendelle this day. And may we do His deed in sending these Lodenburgh bastards to hell!"

The captains cheered, rising to return to their ships.

"Sire, our men are in place. Our scouts have sighted the Arendelle fleet. They are at berth 2 miles from the border. What are your orders sir?"

Erik looked at his General, twirling an icicle in his hand. "Stand your ground. Arendelle will soon see the folly of attacking my kingdom."

The Admiral gave the signal to begin. The Delacrosse, Juniper, and Serapara weighed anchor and unfurled their sails, heading around the mountain into the Lodenburgh bay. Just as they rounded the corner, Elsa could hear cannon fire start peppering the ships. She looked over at the mountain, where the first wave of ground forces were starting their way down the mountain. She could hear the men shouting as the Lodenburgh forces spotted them. Elsa turned to Adrian, letting him wrap her in his arms, scared. Adrian soothed Elsa, but had a hard look in his eyes. Elsa felt the ship jerk as the sails caught the wind, and knew they had started their part of the battle. She moved over to a window to see the 5 warships lining up in a semicircle, cutting off the mouth of the bay. In the bay, there were 5 Lodenburgh Skirmishers, who were still firing on the Arendelle coursers. One courser appeared to have been sunk by cannon fire, while another was still making its way across the bay. The third, the Delacrosse, appeared to have been frozen, much as Elsa herself had frozen the Lodenburgh ship two days ago. It was slowly sinking into the bay with the other courser. Elsa could hear the Admiral above her shouting orders. Just as the remaining courser was out of the firing range, the Admiral gave the order to fire. It seemed almost glorious, as over 200 cannonballs sailed over the water, to strike the Lodenburgh Skrmishers with devastating force. The ships were peppered, two immediately starting to sink, while a third exploded. The remaining two, the ones on the very edges of the bay, began firing at the warships, desperation apparent in their actions. But the Admiral seemed to be showing no mercy, sending another volley at the hapless ships. Their hulls were riddled with gaping holes, and began to sink below the gently churning waves. Elsa looked over to see her men had broken through the Lodenburgh ground defense at the border, and were making their way into the town. She was just about to make her way topside when a piercing shriek echoed around the bay. She heard the men above shouting, screaming, at something she couldn't see. She strained her eyes, searching for a threat, when she saw it.

"Sire, our ground forces have been defeated, and our Skirmishers sunk. Whoever is commanding their forces has a brilliant strategy."

Erik sat on his throne, grinding his teeth, listening to the screams and explosions happening just outside. He made up his mind. He had had a plan to use on the Arendellians towards the end of the battle, but it seemed he needed it now.

"Release the beast."

Elsa saw it, but couldn't believe her eyes. She ran out onto the deck, sharing in the disbelief of her crew. Flying through the air, its scales of a pure white color, was a creature out of legend, one Elsa had thought amusing to read about as a child.

A dragon.

The great beast turned its 100 foot wingspan, flying back towards the Arendelle warships. It opened its mouth, and instead of fire, like everyone expected, sharp shards of ice shot from its gaping maw. Elsa froze as she saw men pierced by the shards, falling to the deck on the Grainger and the Fryzer. Elsa desperately wanted to help her people, but her powers were helpless against this monstrosity. Elsa saw the Lodenburgh ground forces on the beach gaining ground against the shock frozen Arendellians. The dragon looped around, targeting those men. It breathed a wave of ice, instantly freezing Arendellian and Lodenburghian alike. At that moment, both army's charges faltered. The dragon came around for another pass on the ships, its ice breath freezing the Highland. As it began to sink, Elsa acted instinctively. She felt the weight of her pendant on her chest, the images in it seared into her mind. Closing her eyes, she thought of Anna, her awkward little sister, sacrificing herself on an icy fjord in front of a sword that was meant for her. She thought of Kristoff, bravely helping her sister, caring for her, always being there for her. She thought of Adrian, the night he found her crying over her father, the day they danced, the day he gave her her pendant. She also thought of her parents, the day they left, all the times they cared for her, and all the times after. She even thought of Olaf, always there for her, willing to give a hug for even the slightest problem. She let the feeling of their love for her and her love for them infuse her very soul, warming her blood, clearing her mind, and transforming her powers. She felt the tingly sensation she always felt when using her powers, but this time, the cold that usually accompanied the feeling was replaced by warmth, heat, like fire in her arms. She released the sensation, feeling the power leave her body. She wasn't aiming, nor was she even looking. But she felt as if an invisible hand guided hers. As the last feeling of heat left her, she opened her eyes, just in time to see the ice vanish off the Highlander, the Arendelle and Lodenburgh soldiers unfreeze, and the melted remnants of the snow dragon fall from the sky. She looked around her, seeing the amazed expressions of the crew. Some were gaping, some had wide eyes, some had collapsed to the ground, kneeling, and some others all three. She looked down at her arms, and gasped. Her skin was glowing, literally glowing, as if a fire had ignited from under her skin. Her original purple dress had disappeared, leaving behind an orange and red fitted gown, designed in the style of her ice dresses, but was embroidered with flames, not snowflakes. Her hair ties had turned orange and red as well, and her pendant glowed as if it were a red hot coal, yet didn't feel hot to the touch. Elsa marveled at what had happened, realizing the momentum of what her powers just did, using the power of love. She hadn't noticed, but Raalst had come up behind, standing quietly. As she took notice of him, he spoke.

"That, my dear queen, was the power of the Ancients."

Erik collapsed to the ground, trying to rid himself of the pain. It felt as if his entire body had been dipped in boiling oil. Distantly, he heard his dragon screech, then fall silent.

"No, no, no!" he screamed out loud. "Elsa couldn't have gained this much power! That's impossible!"

All of a sudden, the pain stopped, the burning sensation replaced by ice cold rage. He rose to his feet, murder in his eyes. He made his way over to the signal bearer, telling him an order. The man nodded, moving to the balcony overlooking the bay, and began swinging his flag.

Admiral Brutus saw a man waving a flag over the Lodenburgh castle. At first, he thought it was a flag for surrender. But it wasn't white, it was red. A signal flag. He looked down at the queen, who had transformed into a being that wasn't Elsa, seeing a man moving towards her. He shouted out, but it was too late.

The guard tried looking just as flabbergasted as the rest of the crew, which wasn't hard, considering what he just saw. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a red flag waving from the Lodenburgh castle balcony. He swallowed, drawing his sword and moving towards the queen.

Elsa was still feeling elated as the warm power feeling left her, and started grinning. The crew raised a cheer. Throughout the cacophony, she thought she heard the Admiral's voice. As she looked up at him, a hot flare of pain erupted from her back. She looked down, seeing a shiny sword sticking out of her chest. Then, it disappeared, and blood began to seep from the wound. She looked up, time seeming to go slower. Men were still around her cheering, slapping each other on the back. About 10 guards, the Admiral, and Adrian were all staring at her in horror. She dropped to her knees, the feeling in her limbs gradually fading away. The cheers of the men became shouts of horror. Before she fell to the ground, Adrian caught her, her blood seeping onto his white tunic. She could see him moving his mouth, saying something, tears in his eyes, but her ears were roaring, and she couldn't hear. She tried saying something, but her mouth felt like it was numb and stuffed with cotton.

"A-Adri-Adrian," she gasped. Her vision started going white, until it completely overtook her sight. She felt warmth seep into her limbs, as the last feelings of the world left her. She let out her last breath in Adrian's arms.****

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	22. Chapter 22: Revival

"Elsa, NOOO!" screamed Adrian, cradling her in his arms. She couldn't be gone, not now, not like this. He started crying. "Elsa, please! Don't go like this, don't give in! I love you! I can't let you go!" He sobbed into her shoulder. The entire ship was silent, as the battle behind them raged on. The other ships and ground soldiers were unaware of what was happening on the Truest Blue, too focused on the grisly aspect of war. The Admiral came down from his place at the helm, putting a hand on Adrian's shoulder.

"Adrian, I am so sorry."

Adrian looked up at him, then at the man who had stabbed Elsa, who was being held by three guards. He was the assassin that Weselton had hired, disguised in an Arendelle elite guard uniform. He had thought this was a stroke of genius, as the uniforms included face covers. Adrian gently set Elsa on the deck, before getting up and drawing his sword. He advanced on the hapless man, impotent rage etched into his face. He raised the sword for an overhand chop when the blade was swept from his grasp by a gust of wind.

"No, do not kill him," boomed Raalst. "We must interrogate him first. Adrian, I need you if we are to save Elsa."

Adrian turned to Raalst, hope blossoming in his chest. Raalst was flanked by two other men in blue and black cloaks, who surrounded Elsa on three sides. Raalst beckoned for Adrian to join them. Adrian did as he was bade, swiftly coming to the side by Elsa's head. Raalst and the two other men began changing in an ancient and tonal language, weaving their hands together. As they chanted, two streams of golden mist sprouted from their linked hands, one going towards Elsa's heart, while the other went to her mouth. The streams entered her body, and Elsa's skin started to glow again, as it had after she had used her powers. The men carried this on, and Adrian watched, enthralled, as Elsa's wound closed over and healed itself. After a moment, Raalst and the men stopped, the golden mist dissipating, though Elsa's body continued to glow. Raalst looked up at Adrian.

"Adrian, do you love her, with all your heart and all your soul, without a single doubt in your mind?"

Adrian looked at her still form, realizing that she was the only one he really truly loved, and had ever loved, in a way he couldn't even describe.

"Yes," he croaked. He cleared his throat, speaking clearer and stronger. "Yes, I do."

"And does she love you the same way you love her?"

Adrian stared at her face, so peaceful and unworried. He remembered the first time she had truly confessed in love to him. It hadn't been when he had to leave for Orethell the second time he visited Arendelle, it had been the time when she was so consumed by the events of the past summer that her entire mental aptitude had collapsed. Adrian had been the only one to console her, calming her, and bringing her out of her own depression. It was then, in her bedroom, where she said she truly loved him.

"Yes, yes she does."

"Alright. The spell my colleagues and I have just placed on her are an ancient ritual to bring back the dead. It only works on the recently deceased, and the person can only be woken up by an act of true love." He looked at Adrian, as if he were examining his very soul. "You are Queen Elsa's true love. You are to bring her back from the dead."

Adrian nodded. He positioned himself beside Elsa, taking her hands in his. They were warm, warmer than usual. He looked down at her and let the thought of his love for her completely overtake his mind. Then he leaned down and kissed her, gently, softly. Her lips at first felt warm, yet unfeeling. Then, miraculously, she was kissing him back. He gasped, pulling back from her. Elsa's eyes were open, their sapphire irises darting around. She was breathing heavily too, and seemed to be at a complete loss for words. She looked up into Adrian's eyes, and her own eyes smoldered, darkening. She pulled him down to her, kissing him passionately. The men cheered, and Admiral Brutus looked like he was getting ready to faint. Elsa broke away from her kiss with Adrian, smiling widely. He helped her to her feet, then turned and gasped, seeing Raalst and the other two men looking as if they were fading. Elsa turned to look at them too.

"Raalst?" she asked, worry staining her voice. "Raalst, what's happening to you?"

He smiled sadly. "All spells have a cost, your majesty. This one had a bit more of one than is usually needed. My own soul and my companions', for yours."

Elsa started crying. These men had just sacrificed themselves for her life. "Please, I can't ever hope to repay you."

"There is no need, dear Elsa. We Draeks are immortal. Our human forms may die, but we live on in the elements of the earth. In the wind, the sea, the ground, and in fire. Should you seek our guidance that is where you must look, to call upon me and my ancestors. We were worried that the beliefs of the Draeks would disappear from this world forever, but we were wrong. They live on in you, Elsa. In your genes, your children, and your soul. I entrust our race to you, now. Goodbye, Queen Elsa. May we meet again in another life. Fred være med deg, min venn. Fred være med deg, min venn."

With that, Raalst and the two men beside him shimmered, and disappeared completely.

"Thank you," whispered Elsa.

Tarin strode up to Erik, his robes billowing.

"Sire, the Arendellians have reached our gates and are attempting to breach them. It seems our men surrendered after a force erupted from the Arendelle flagship, destroying your dragon, and unfreezing an Arendellian warship. Our reserves have retreated into the mountains, and..."

Tarin stopped, staring at his hand. It had gone transparent and started to shimmer. Tarin panicked. He knew this spell; it was the resurrection spell. It made any Draek within a 10 mile radius sacrifice their soul for another. That bastard Raaslt had initiated it. Tarin shrieked, attempting to call upon the xurtiu spell, which would shield him from any nearby initiated spells. But he fumbled with the weaves, causing the spell to dissipate. He shrieked again as his lower torso disappeared, then his arms, his torso, chest, and finally head. Tarin had entered the afterlife with Raalst.

Erik shouted his impotent rage. He had lost his men, his Draek, his dragon, his ships, and his chance to kill the queen, as that idiot of an assassin hadn't signaled back yet. He strode out to the balcony, setting his eyes on the Arendellian flagship. He raised his hands above his head, summoning a whirlwind of snow and ice, which he brought down onto the ship.

Elsa embraced Adrian, holding him to her and never wanting to let go. But something arose that prompted that. A huge ice storm had just appeared over the ship, and was descending on them. Acting quickly, Elsa raised her hands to the sky, and felt the heat of her power run up her arms again. A beam of light shot into the sky, hitting the eye of the storm. The storm started glowing, until it vanished in a flash of light. Elsa noticed Erik standing on the balcony of Lodenburgh castle. She turned to the Admiral.

"Admiral?" He glanced at her, still dazed by the events happening on his ship. "Fire on Lodenburgh castle."

That order seemed to shake him out of his shock, as he recieved a military command.

"Yes, Queen Elsa. Right away."

He nodded to the flag bearer, who started waving at the soldiers on the ground. Seeing the signal, they ran back towards the hill, clearing the castle. The crew, along with the crews of the remaining 5 warships, aimed their guns at the castle. They waited for the Admiral's word.

"Fire."

A volley of 200 cannonballs struck the side of the castle, causing its front supports to collapse. Erik stumbled and fell, shrieking, into the bay. Another volley hit the right side of the castle, causing it to collapse into a pile of rubble. A third volley hit the north tower, making it fall onto the western hall, turning both into chunks of debris. The Admiral held up a hand for cease fire. The guns quieted. The bay fell silent. The Truest Blue started its way up to the side of the destroyed castle, its crew soaking in the carnage. They pulled up next to an unconscious, floating Erik. He was hauled aboard, where he was put into manacles on the top deck. Elsa approached him as he was re-gaining his consciousness. She was about to speak when his palm sent a blast of ice at her. She calmly dissipated it with a wave of her hand. He tried again, this time with an icicle flying towards her head, but she merely melted it in midair. This time, he froze his manacles, breaking them, and reached for twin daggers behind his back. He was moving in to stab her when she shot a blast of concentrated ice at his chest, hitting his heart. He doubled over, dropping the daggers, clutching at his chest.

"Your rule is over, Prince Erik. Surrender to Arendelle or perish."

"Never!" he screamed, summoning an ice sword to his hand. Before he could swing, Elsa hit him with another blast of ice to the chest. Just as his hand was coming down, his limbs froze, then his torso, and finally his head, leaving him as an unmoving statue. Elsa released her powers as a pressing silence settled over the ship. Stepping back from the statue that used to be Erik, she turned to face the crew. Then, she really smiled.


	23. Chapter 23: Aftermath

**Final chapter of Frozen-Trouble In Arendelle! Thanks for all the support you guys!**

The fleet stayed in the Lodenburgh bay for another 5 hours after the battle. Admiral Brutus had one of the fleet's reserve interceptors set off for Arendelle immediately after the battle to tell them the news. Completing that, he took note of the losses. It was nearing sundown when he had compiled a list of who and what was lost, and by then, the soldiers were loaded for the journey home. The Admiral presented the list directly to Elsa, who seriously didn't want to see it, but acknowledged it anyway. It totaled a loss of 2 ships, the Delacrosse and Juniper, along with their skeleton crews, a heavily damaged Serapara, a lightly damaged Highland and Fryzer, 120 men in the ground force, 22 men on the Highland and Fryzer from the dragon, and Raalst and his 2 companions. The last entry was what pained Elsa the most, even though she knew all those men, 153 in all, had died for her. The entire conflict was based on Lodenburgh's want to kill her, and her people fought to the death in retaliation. Elsa had grief, and knew tears would come, but right now she needed to be strong for her people. She was still wearing her fire dress from earlier, and it was one of the things that stunned everybody, mostly herself. She had no idea how or why her powers reacted like they did, and the only one who knew was Raalst. It would remain a mystery, one that Elsa would investigate and study, to learn more of Raalst and his people.

The fleet weighed anchor and set off for Arendelle at dusk, leaving the smoldering wreck of Lodenburgh behind. Oddly enough, they hadn't found any townspeople, only soldiers and barracks. General Andworthy guessed they must have moved on when Erik became ruler. They also had found no evidence of there ever being a head monarch of Lodenburgh. They inferred that Erik had either disposed of them, or was pretending to be a prince. In any case, the city had become a ghost town, the remaining soldiers fleeing into the distant hills.

The journey back to Arendelle took 3 days, in which Elsa had plenty of time to go over what happened in her mind. Several times, the weight of the battle and its events crushed her in grief or confusion. Never before had Arendelle lost so many citizens in one day. Elsa kept thinking it was her fault, but Adrian was always there to shoot down that idea. He had largely been the one who comforted Elsa during the journey. He also had time to tell the battle from his point of view. He told her about what happened when she used her powers out of love, and how she died and was revived by Raalst.

"It literally felt like rays of sun were penetrating my skin, and you began to glow and flash, red and orange mist swirling around you," he told her. "When your powers were released, they shot out from your hands like tendrils of fire, one going to the Highland, one to the beach, and one shooting up to strike the dragon. The dragon started glowing, and was making a God awful shrieking noise, until it literally started to melt. The ice on the Highland disappeared, and the ship buoyed itself out of the water. The frozen men on the beach were melted, and seemed extremely disoriented. They weren't even fighting each other."

Elsa nodded, taking his story to memory so she could examine it later. She had always had an excellent memory, which had helped her study and learn enough to be queen at so young of an age. "What happened after that?"

"Well. the entire ship began celebrating, as we didn't have to come up with a way to stop the dragon. But then I heard Admiral Brutus shout, and I looked up at him. But his gaze was fixed on you, and when I looked back, there was a sword sticking out of your chest." He blinked back tears of grief and anger. "I was completely shocked, as well as the Admiral and a few crew members. The rest went on celebrating like nothing had happened, because they hadn't yet seen what had happened. When you collapsed, everybody started shouting, and two elite guards grabbed the assassin before he could jump ship. I caught you, and you were bleeding so much. You attempted to say my name, but then went limp." He was freely crying now, the memory being one he never wanted to retain, but was seared into his mind against his wishes. He knew he would have nightmares about it for the rest of his life. Elsa leaned in closer to him, putting her hand on his and squeezing, giving him strength. He recovered enough to continue. "I didn't know what to do. The Admiral came down to offer his condolences, and that's when I lost it. Before I knew what was happening, I had drawn my sword, and was advancing on the assassin. I was going to kill him. But before I struck, a blast of wind made my sword come out of my hand. Raalst said not to kill him, and that he needed me to save you. He and his two companions started chanting over your body, and this weird gold mist went from them into you. Then, Raalst began interrogating me, saying if I truly loved you. I said yes, and then they asked if you truly loved me. What made me determine that was the time when you became depressed over the events from last summer, and shut out everybody. When I came in to see you, to try and comfort you, you said that you truly did love me. Using that knowledge, I bent to kiss you, and you were kissing me back. That's when I knew that we loved each other, because Raalst said the spell could only work with an act of true love." Adrian stared at his hands, lost in his memories. He looked up at Elsa, finding tears in her eyes. "Is it true? Do you love me as much as I do you?" he asked tentatively, barely whispering it. Elsa pulled him to her, kissing him deeply. When she released him, her eyes were swimming with desire. "I actually think I love you more," she said. Adrian smiled hugely, and the two sat back in the cabin, completely overtaken by the powerful and strange magic that is love.

The fleet arrived in Arendelle harbor late Sunday evening. The interceptor that the Admiral had sent ahead was already at berth there, and practically the whole town was on the docks or beach, waiting. As the ships came into sight, the crowd began cheering and celebrating, glad to have their queen and family and friends home. The ships docked, and the soldiers and crew lowered the longboats to go ashore. Many men embraced their family, while other families went alone, their loved one having not returned. Seeing these saddened people threatened to make Elsa's heart tear in two. But the sight of the queen aroused a new feeling of joy in the crowd. She was safe, and the threat against her was gone. Right as Elsa climbed onto the dock, a figure with red hair in two pigtails crashed into her, nearly making her fall into the bay. Anna hugged her sister with all her might, nearly suffocating her. Elsa hugged Anna back just as fiercely, though, glad to be home and have all the fear and terror and heartbreak behind her. Elsa made her way back to the castle with Adrian, Anna, and Kristoff. She had convinced General Andworthy that she no longer needed a personal guard, and he allowed her her request. The crowd followed after them, and Elsa made her way to the balcony overlooking the courtyard to address them. She cleared her throat before stepping out onto the balcony, speaking in a loud and confident voice.

"Good people of Arendelle, our fleet has returned from our conquest against Lodenburgh victorious."

The crowd cheered.

"But it is with a heavy heart that our efforts did not go perfectly. We lost many good men in the Battle of Lodenburgh. They gave their lives in an effort to protect mine, in which I am forever grateful. I would like to acknowledge all those who perished, fighting for their kingdom, their home, and their families."

Many people below looked on with sad eyes, not meeting their loved ones at the docks. Elsa accepted the compiled list from Admiral Brutus, which had been written on the journey home, and held the name of every soldier killed or missing. She proceeded to say every name on the list, first and last, to the crowd. Many people broke down crying, others moving to comfort them. When Elsa reached the bottom of the list, she stopped.

"I would like to give an extra tribute to these men-Raalst, Murdock, and Jurill, who sacrificed their own lives to save mine."

She did a quick retelling of what happened on the Truest Blue, along with who and what the men were. Many people gasped or shook their heads, not believing such men existed or that their queen almost died.

"I can never thank them enough, nor can I ever hope to repay them. But, as a result of this conflict, it has made our kingdom stronger, more prideful, and more loving than it ever has been since the time of King Tiberius. And may we keep the peace of Arendelle for many years to come."

The crowd cheered again, happy to know that their kingdom would pull through.

Before Elsa could turn to leave, Adrian came up behind her, urging her to stay. She turned to stay on the balcony but looked at Adrian, as did the crowd. He looked out upon them, speaking.

"This conflict has affected me in ways I couldn't imagine, and in ways in which I never hoped to experience, nor ever experience again. I watched Queen Elsa die before my eyes, and that's when I came to a realization. I can't live without her. I am not worthy of her by half, but one thing is for certain-I love her with all my heart and soul."

The crowd sighed, knowing all to well that Adrian did love their queen. And if he made her happy, they were happy. They had expected that he would announce his love for her sometime or another. What they didn't expect was for him to turn to Elsa, get down on one knee, and offer up an open black velvet box with two delicate snowflake encrusted rings lying on its surface, which glistened softly in the glow from the Northern Lights.  
**  
THE END**

Now this story may be over, but make sure to check out my others! The sequel to this story, as well as a short oneshot in this setting, are now up!

-RaymanK16


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